


Through the Looking Glass

by 1more4me



Category: Far Cry 3
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Lovers, First Kiss, First Time, M/M, Origin Story, Post-Canon, Resolved Sexual Tension, Reunions, Swearing, canonverse, mention of druguse, mention of incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:35:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28674546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1more4me/pseuds/1more4me
Summary: Three years after the biggest slave and drug trafficking empire in the south pacific had crumbled down through the hands of one man, the Rook Islands have remained largely undisturbed and back in the hands of the native population. However, that man has now returned in hopes of finding answers to the many questions his experiences have left him with.
Relationships: Jason Brody/Citra Talugmai, Jason Brody/Vaas Montenegro, Vaas Montenegro/Citra Talugmai
Comments: 15
Kudos: 40





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> I've been replaying the game and needed to get this out of my system, though I'm thinking about continuing it, I still have more ideas. Thanks for reading!

Rays of sunlight slanted through the treetops, illuminating the rich greens of the jungle in alternating patterns. The humid air made his shirt cling to his torso as Jason walked slowly towards a small river forming a streambed through the vegetation. He followed the river until it led to a clearing. The stream opened into a pond nestled between large rocks. Being now exposed to the hot sun, Jason squinted and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the brightness as he stepped onto the stone and knelt down in front of the water.

He had been hunting since sunrise, his bag filled with deer meat and herbs he had collected along the way. In need of a break, Jason knelt down and scooped some of the clear liquid up with his hands, drinking his fill and then splashing more on his face and neck to cool his heated body.

It was when the ripples on the water’s surface ceased that he noticed a figure standing behind him in the reflection. Jason’s eyes widened in shock and he spun around immediately, pulling out his machete as he launched towards the figure with enough force to throw them both to the ground.

They grunted in unison and Jason pressed the large blade down against the other’s throat, holding it down but not cutting deep enough to kill just yet. It was utter bewilderment that stopped him as he stared down at terribly familiar features.

“Impossible.”, he breathed, pulse rushing in his ears, his muscles tensed in anticipation of a fight, “I’m losing it.”

Teal eyes looked up at him, though not in anger but with similar surprise. Then they narrowed dangerously before a low voice murmured with that same damn Spanish accent.

“Hello, Jason…”

Jason quickly raised his fist, planning to punch Vaas’ lights out but the pirate’s hands were faster. He grabbed Jason’s wrist and pushed the machete away from his throat while slapping a palm over Jason’s neck and spinning them around so he was the one on top. The sudden subversion made Jason grunt again and lose hold of his weapon.

He gritted his teeth and aimed a kick to Vaas’ stomach, succeeding in toppling him backward. A heartbeat later both of them were scrambling to their feet, simultaneously drawing their pistols and aiming them at each other’s heads. The noise of their clash had startled a couple of parrots that hastily took wings from the undergrowth, adding their startled caws to the sound of both men panting in the aftermath.

“How are you alive?”, Jason croaked, a slight tremor shaking his arm that he tried to force away.

“I killed you.”

“You did.”, Vaas replied quietly, holding Jason’s stare but suddenly taking a step back. 

The disbelief written on Jason’s face intensified when he watched the pirate lower his gun. This was all wrong, the slaver was supposed to be rotting at the bottom of a mass grave where he had been told the Rakyat left him after Jason passed out in the warehouse. Back on the small island that had housed his compound, back where Jason had mowed down his men and defeated him for good.

But the man standing opposite him here, he looked real. He looked different, sporting a black shirt instead of a red tank top, wearing black gloves instead of bandages on his hands. The dark circles around his eyes appeared less prominent. Even the strong smell of smoke he remembered from the few times they had been in close proximity was gone. If this Vaas was a fabrication of his imagination, wouldn’t he be the way Jason remembered him before his death?

Of course, the events surrounding their final confrontation had been far from clear. The whole fight went down like a fever dream due to whatever drug had invaded his system through the dagger that had pierced his chest.

At least, that was what Jason had been told by Citra after he reawakened back at the temple. That the blade had been laced with poison to confuse his mind during the battle but that Vaas had still been defeated gloriously. But ever since Citra wanted him to kill his friends, he had started to doubt.

Ever since she died and they had left, Jason couldn’t find closure. Lost in his memories, he didn’t notice how Vaas watched him carefully, eyes filled with intrigue.

“Obviously, you want answers.”, he stated simply, scratching the back of his mohawk before giving a brief shrug.

“So do I.”

Jason’s gaze focused back on him and he slowly lowered his gun as well. He still couldn’t believe the man was really standing in front of him. That he was talking with him and strangely not shooting or attacking him at all.

_What was going on?_

“I want to know what happened when we fought.”, Jason blurted, returning back to a sense of determination when he took a step towards Vaas.

“Tell me why you had the dagger… why you knew I was coming…”

Vaas didn’t back away when Jason came closer, only resumed to observe him with that same unabashed curiosity and a hint of amusement tugging at the corner of his mouth. Jason Brody hadn’t changed that much at all, still making demands.

“Sure you can handle the truth, Snow White? You got out of the coffin, woke up from the dream to silken sheets and pension funds. Why come back?”

Jason’s gaze fell to the ground for a moment, his brows furrowed and lips curving down in a grimace before he replied sternly.

“I never got away. I couldn’t. Not after everything.”

His eyes glinted when they settled back on Vaas.

“The old Jason died the night you shot my brother.”

A scarred brow rose at that but Vaas held his stare, still unmoved.

“If we’re going down memory lane, this is not the right place for it.”

Jason opened his mouth to protest as Vaas turned away but fell silent when the pirate held up a hand.

“Follow me.”, he beckoned him along as he walked down a hill that led to the road where Jason had parked his Scavenger.

An orange painted quad stood behind his car and Vaas headed towards the vehicles. Jason slid down the hillside to catch up and rounded the hood where he and Vaas met. After a moment’s consideration, Jason opened the door to the driver’s seat.

“Get in.”, he murmured into Vaas’ direction before climbing behind the wheel.

The bag with his gear was flung onto the backseat before the pirate entered the car and they both slammed their respective doors shut at the same time. Vaas studied the interior silently, teal eyes coming to rest on an all too familiar photograph that had been affixed to the left visor.

Jason watched him out of the corner of his eye, waiting for some kind of reaction, most likely an outburst but Vaas merely stared at the photo with a blank expression before giving a dismissive huff.

“How the fuck did you even get that.”, he grumbled and pulled a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his cargo pants.

Jason chose to not divulge the details as to how he had searched outpost after outpost for weeks after his return to Rook to find even the slightest bits of information about Citra, the Rakyat, and… the pirates, only to come across the picture in one of the shacks surrounding Vaas’ compound. Instead of answering, he frowned when Vaas put a cigarette on his lips.

“I thought you didn’t smoke anymore.”, he commented only to feel ridiculous at the banality of the notion, like they were sitting at a family dinner, discussing questionable lifestyle choices.

The absurdity wasn’t lost on Vaas either as he gave a high-pitched chuckle before lighting the cigarette with his zippo. He inhaled deeply and blew smoke through his nostrils, then leaned back in his seat until his scarred skull settled against the headrest.

“What made you think that?”, he asked, his gaze moving back to studying Jason’s face.

“You didn’t smell of smoke.”, Jason replied without thinking.

When teal eyes widened slightly in surprise, he felt the sudden need to avert his own in order to stare through the windshield instead. Before he could say anything else ludicrous, Vaas intervened by blowing the next exhale of smoke against the side of his face and chuckled again.

“Look at you, sharp senses of the hunter… this happens to be my first cigarette today. Didn’t actually think I would need one.”

“Where are we going?”, Jason interrupted, mildly irritated.

Vaas took another drag and pointed towards the photograph.

“Where she died.”

~+~

One year after Hoyt’s defeat, the FBI along with other agencies involved had managed to track down many affiliates and disperse the trafficking operation almost completely. Jason and his friends were frequently called in for questioning and helped the investigation as much as they could by providing testimonies. The natives of Rook were left to themselves in the following months, left to try and restore what remained after years of violent trauma and appropriation. The warrior tribe seemed to have lost its purpose after Citra’s death, treating her temple now as forbidden ground.

The entirety of the islands became rumored as forsaken grounds, cursed by the ancient gods and home of angry, demonic spirits. It served to keep most of the tourists away, aside from those seeking the thrill of haunted places. Foreigners as a whole were not welcome on Rook and many just strangely disappeared, never to be rediscovered which only furthered the islands infamous reputation.

During his time back in the states, Jason kept tabs on any news he could gather about Rook, much to the dismay of Liza and his friends. They had hoped for a new start, to forget the horror but Jason couldn’t let it rest. He tried for a while, tried to look after his mother instead, tried to keep his focus on helping her get through her disease when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Yet despite all the important aspects of his life back home, he still dreamt of nights spent running through the jungle, hunting and being hunted, adrenaline flooding his veins.

It didn’t stop, even after his mother died.

And when he was left to make a choice as to how to use his inheritance, he chose to leave the family home to Riley, sold most of his possessions, and booked a flight back to Bangkok. From there, he managed to find a pilot who was brave enough to take him to the islands, though the high amount of payment offered surely helped to persuade him. When he jumped out of the plane, gliding down above the mountain range and towards the coast with his parachute, the Deja vú was so intense that it took his breath away.

Seeing the beauty of Rook stretched out beneath him, the glistening blue water and lush green jungle, it felt so traitorously like coming home. Like his time back in the USA had been nothing but a strange dream and landing back here after three long years, he was finally waking up.

In the first days after his descent, he had found an abandoned hut deep in the undergrowth that he made his hideout. He had gathered supplies and went on to search the old outposts on the northern island. Surprisingly enough, there was no sign of any Rakyat, as if they were shunning the former pirate retreats as much as they avoided Citra’s temple grounds. It served Jason well, for now, he didn’t plan to make contact with the natives. 

Almost a month passed before he stumbled upon that pond between the rocks, where he encountered a shadow of the past like no other.

~+~

A deafening silence settled over them on their way to Citra’s temple as the sun began to dip lower, painting the sky in a beautiful rose color. Vaas for most of it looked out through the window, his head turned away from Jason. The first stars appeared above them once they reached their destination and Vaas was out of the car before Jason, heading straight towards the temple gate.

He flicked his last cigarette against the stone as he passed the open gateway with Jason in tow who hesitated in front of the steps for a moment. Vaas glanced back over his shoulder and turned to give him a questioning look.

“Chickening out?”, he probed, a tad impatient, and received a glare from Jason in response.

Since the night of the attempted sacrifice, he hadn’t set foot in this area. Images of his friends tied up and panicking flared up in his head and Jason saw his hands trembling again before he curled them into fists, fighting for composure before he hurried up the stairs and past Vaas to enter the inner yard. In front of the large tree in the center, he waited for the pirate who scratched the back of his head again as he came to stand beside Jason.

“So here we are, now tell me what happened.”, he took his turn to be impatient and earned himself a scowl of teal eyes.

Eyes that he noticed now, resembled Citra’s in an eerie way that made his skin crawl.

Vaas didn’t respond right away, instead, he lowered himself to his knees and reached into a hollow spot between the thick roots of the tree.

Jason watched with a frown as he brought forth a treasure box with a padlock. Vaas handed the box to him before he removed a chain with a key pendant from around his neck that had been hidden by the collar of his shirt. He unlocked the chest and reached inside to pull out the Silver Dragon knife, grasped firmly in his hand.

The treasure box was dropped to crash onto the stone as Jason made an instinctual grab for the knife only to find the blade pressed against his throat as Vaas forced him to stop at arm’s length and gave a whistle.

“Uh uh uh.”, he chided, narrowing his eyes at Jason while a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Learn to control your impulses, Jason.”

“You’re one to talk!”, Jason bit back, anger quickly rising in his chest.

When had the pirate ever held back?

Seething, he glowered at Vaas as if the knife was the only thing stopping him from tearing his head off. But again, the pirate remained unmoved although he returned Jason’s stare with matching intensity. With the same predatory gleam.

“In my world, holding back means death. Something I think you learned during your time here, white boy.”

The words were spoken quietly, yet no less terrifying than the sudden screams Jason had expected of the man. There hadn’t been any of them so far, now that he thought about it. No violent outbursts, only defensive actions. It unsettled Jason more than anything else.

“How did you get the dagger?”, he repeated his question from earlier and Vaas’ gaze dropped lower, to where he still held the knife to Jason’s throat.

He watched the blood pulse there, through the protruding carotid, and his smile faded.

“You really don’t know?”

The whisper gave goosebumps to the skin on Jason’s neck, haunting like the dreams he couldn’t shake for years after the escape.

“Think, Jason.”

Green eyes closed momentarily, as the exchange with Citra played out in his mind again. The way she had regarded him with pride when he offered her the blade. The intrigued shine to her pale eyes, her wagging finger, the ornamented bottle she had handed him. A poison to kill the weak. The same poison that…

His eyes flew back open.

“She gave it to you.”

He searched Vaas’ face, looking for confirmation.

“She poisoned the dagger and gave it to you, she told you I was coming.”

The pirate said nothing in return but his gaze panned back up to meet Jason’s imploring one.

“Why?”, Jason asked, the hurt in his voice too audible for his battered pride.

The knife left his skin and was suddenly jammed into the bark of the tree with enough force to bury it halfway.

“Because my batshit sister wanted to determine who of us would be the better suitor.”, Vaas growled suddenly, his features twisting in a grimace.

“Like a god damn bitch watching the hounds tear each other’s throats out until the fittest mate keeps standing. So she can receive and give birth to the strongest fucking warrior her fuckhead tribe has ever seen.”

He turned back towards Jason with disgust written all over his face.

“Because in her mind, we only existed to fulfill her purpose. Only existed for her, no one else besides her, the one true goddess.”

The growl bled into manic laughter, much more reminiscent of the Vaas Jason had used to know. But now he was starting to see how he got there and the revelations made him wince.

“She said she loved me…”

The confession was out before Jason could stop the words from falling from his mouth and the look Vaas gave him in response was outright terrifying.

“You stupid fuck.”

The next second, Vaas’ hands were on his throat, shoving him against the tree next to where he had slammed in the knife.

“All the shit I ran from for years, you just sucked up to.”

The pressure of the grip was constricting his airway, forcing tears from his eyes.

“Licking the hand that feeds, you fucking pathetic-“

Vaas didn’t get to finish his tirade as Jason pulled the dagger out and slashed it across the pirate’s cheek, thereby making him jump backward.

Jason gasped for air and rubbed the tender flesh of his neck, coughing in pain.

“You… still loved her too…”, he croaked out in between greedy breathes.

Vaas swiped through the blood on his cheek with the back of his hand, eyes wild with rage for another moment but he didn’t retaliate.

“She drugged me as she did you, just a lot more often. I was an addict by the time I turned thirteen, most days I had no idea what was real and what hallucination.”

The former pirate leader gritted his teeth at the memory and Jason watched the visible suffering play out on his features as he went on.

“When it became clear what the tradition would demand of me, given I was the strongest warrior of the tribe by the age of eighteen, I fucking ran as far away as I could.”

Some of the anger deflated after that and Vaas came to lean against the tree next to Jason who was gradually regaining a normal breathing pace.

“Turns out I went from one nutcase to another. But at that point, I didn’t care. I switched the old poison for a new one, and I felt free for the first time in my damn life.”

Slowly, his head turned towards Jason and their eyes met for the unbeknownst time that day.

Jason didn’t know what to say. They had found similar yet different things in the same places. Rook took Vaas’ freedom away while it granted a twisted version of it to Jason. A distant voice reminded him that humanizing the pirate wasn’t in his best interest but ever since that time, ever since _every time_ they collided, Jason, had wanted to _know_.

Know how a man turned into a monster, and with every kill, with every stabbed chest and sliced throat, he came closer to the answer. And as much as he raged against the admission to himself, now he understood. A few more years and he would’ve become him.

“How did you survive?”, he asked softly.

Vaas exhaled deeply through his nose, the light of the sun had disappeared behind the stone walls of the temple by now, and the air was starting to cool down, just like the tension between them.

“Just like I didn’t hit your vitals, you didn’t hit mine.”

From his pocket, he brought forth another cigarette and his lighter, the small flame flickering to life.

“I didn’t die but I came close enough that the Rakyat asshats believed I was when they dumped me in the mass grave. I woke up, crawled my way out like fucking Snow White, and bailed.”

Jason hummed in understanding, casting a brief glance down at the knife still resting in his hand. Vaas followed the movement of his eyes and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“You wanna make good on that failure?”

The question hung in the air for a few more seconds in which Jason tried to rekindle the will to murder Vaas for everything he had done but failed at the attempt. Maybe it was because too much time had passed, too many things changed, maybe it was that at this moment, after having shared the truth of what they went through, for the first time in years, he didn’t feel alone.

Jason pushed himself away from the tree, spun around, and stabbed the dagger back into the trunk right next to Vaas’ face. The other man didn’t flinch, only continued to smoke his cigarette and keep his eyes on Jason, still curious.

“I’ve had enough of trying to win.”


	2. Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, I continued it.  
> Have fun!

As another slice of irony, right after the concession had left his mouth, they were attacked by two Rakyat warriors that had sneaked up on them from behind the tree. Tattooed arms wrapped tightly around both their necks as Jason and Vaas gaped at each other in surprise. A heartbeat later, Jason saw Vaas’ lips close in a tense line as he fought back against the grip, trying to shake his assailant off and grasping for the knife. Jason, who was still recovering from having his airway constricted only moments prior, wasn’t able to put up enough of a struggle to keep his consciousness.

The last thing he saw before his vision turned black was Vaas pushing back against the Rakyat warrior but not succeeding in breaking free, failing to get a hold of the dagger.

When he came to, their surroundings had changed. Slowly, the blurry filter vanished from his eyes and he noticed overgrown walls of stone that made up what seemed to be a crypt with a sarcophagus in the center. He and Vaas were lying next to each other, their wrists and ankles tied up.

The heavy smell of earth suggested that they were deep underground with the only source of light being a couple of burning braziers symmetrically arranged around the sarcophagus. Jason looked around further and his heart sank when he noticed that the entry to the crypt had been sealed off with heavy boulders that would take more than two men to move out of the way.

“What the fuck.”, he swore loudly which woke up Vaas whose eyes were now gradually opening.

The pirate’s eerily relaxed face creased in a frown once he fully came around and he cursed as well, straining against the ropes that tied his hands behind his back. Jason moved into a sitting position and wriggled his feet but to no avail. His pulse started to quicken, the first tendrils of panic sneaking up his back. As far as he could tell there was no way out.

“Fucking cocksuckers.”, Vaas hissed as he sat up as well, blood dripping from the cut on his cheek.

“I managed to evade them for years and the second I drop my guard, bam! Up yours!”

“Where the hell are we?”, Jason coughed, his throat felt incredibly soar.

Vaas snorted derisively before swaying his head in Jason’s direction, exasperated.

“Seriously, hermano? Come on, you just gave thinking a shot. Have another while it’s still fresh.”

Jason groaned and attempted to pull his hands free if only to punch Vaas.

Then his eyes widened with the sudden realization.

“This is her grave.”, he concluded, staring at the sarcophagus before them.

This made their predicament seem that much more damning. Being buried in a crypt with the corpse of Citra left to die of starvation, it was as if she was still placing them in her great design, even after death. The anger and desperation Jason felt at that were written all over his face and Vaas gave a low whistle to recapture his attention.

“Jason. Eh Jason, look at me.”

Ripped from his spiraling thoughts, Jason turned to meet his eyes.

“The door is sealed shut, there’s no way we’re moving those rocks. And they took all our weapons, Vaas. I see no other openings in the walls and-”

“Would you please shut the fuck up.”, Vaas was quick to interrupt his anxious rambling, his face stern.

“I know this place. We’re underneath the temple where my ancestors are buried. This little chamber right here? Was built directly under the tree in the entrance yard.”

Jason’s frown deepened and he gulped nervously, multiple questions formed in his mind but he waited to hear the rest of what Vaas had to say. The pirate gave him a lop-sided grin before carrying on.

“Citra was the brain of the operation, I have no doubt her tools are dull enough to leave us one weapon we can use.”

Vaas gave a nod towards the sarcophagus and Jason finally caught on to the plan. If Citra’s enemies should be buried with her, why wouldn’t that what had been lost be as well?

“Come on, white boy. No time to waste.”

Vaas crawled towards the sarcophagus, then turned on his back and pressed his heels against the stone seal. After another moment of being perplexed by the pirate’s efficiency, Jason followed suit. He put his boots up next to Vaas’ and both of them began to push with as much strength as they could muster. Groaning in exertion and with gritted teeth, they managed to open the sarcophagus, its heavy lid forced back far enough to reveal the body inside.

An overwhelming putrid stench assaulted their nostrils and Jason heaved from it, nausea hitting his stomach hard. Vaas spouted profanities but was fast to sit up and look for the reason they opened his sister’s tomb. Jason watched teal eyes glint with triumph as Vaas turned his body to reach his hands into the stony grave, retrieving the Silver Dragon knife.

Vaas swiftly flipped the handle in his grip and began to slice the ropes around his wrists. When his arms were free he quickly moved on to his ankles, cutting them loose as well. Still tied up, Jason observed him from the ground, a distinct worry taking shape that the pirate would leave him here now that he no longer needed his help. The feeling of dread grew when Vaas slowly turned back towards him with an unreadable expression on his face. He rubbed his wrists while stepping closer, the orange light of the fire bowls flickering over his frame.

“… ain’t that sight familiar…”, he murmured, tossing and catching the knife in the air a few times.

“You wanna make good on your failures?”, Jason echoed the pirate’s earlier words, a bead of sweat running down his temple.

Vaas chuckled disquietingly at that and slowly knelt down in front of Jason. The tension rose as he held his stare, the following silence only disturbed by the crackling fire and the heavy sounds of their breathing. Vaas tilted his head slightly, hooded eyes dropping to the gulp in Jason’s throat.

Suddenly, he was leaning forward, making Jason’s heart stop for a moment. Vaas brought his lips to Jason’s ear and whispered.

“Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?”

Goosebumps spread across Jason’s neck where the warm breath hit his skin and he flinched when the ropes holding his hands behind his back were severed roughly. Still, so impossibly close, Vaas placed the dagger in his palm and was gone a heartbeat later.

Jason fought with the varying emotions seizing his chest simultaneously while he saw the other man stop beside Citra’s sarcophagus, heard him speak a few words in a language he didn’t understand. He removed the ties on his legs and stumbled to a stand.

“What now?”, he breathed, suppressing the myriad of other questions he wanted to ask. 

Vaas answered without looking at him.

“First, you say whatever you need before we close her back up. Then we climb on top to reach the ceiling.”

Hesitantly, Jason moved to stand beside the pirate, raising the back of his hand to his nose when the foul smell grew more intense. As if the grant him some privacy, Vaas left to inspect the blocked off entrance to the crypt. Jason stared down at Citra’s decomposing corpse, at the once beautiful features now sickly contorted. A cynical part of him found her new appearance more befitting to her actual nature.

“Citra…”, Jason began quietly.

“… I never wanted this to happen. For what it’s worth, I wished I could’ve stopped it. But you… you lied to me. I thought you understood me like no one else. That I had finally found someone who knew who I was… who made me feel strong. ”

From behind him, Vaas looked back over his shoulder, casting a curious glance in his direction.

“But I never really knew who you were before it was too late.”

His eyes watered and Jason wanted to think it was due to the stench when he moved to the other side of the sarcophagus, placing both hands on the lid. Vaas appeared beside him and they combined their strength to push the seal back in place.

Vaas took the dagger from Jason and climbed up on the tomb so his arms could reach the ceiling. He started to hack away at the overgrown stones, causing dirt and gravel to rain down. The rocks loosened enough for him to pluck them out one by one until the fresh air of the night seeped through the holes. Suddenly, a large portion of the ceiling began to collapse.

“Watch out!”, Jason shouted.

Vaas raised his arms to protect himself but would’ve been crushed if Jason hadn’t pulled him down and away from the sarcophagus. They toppled down just out of reach of the rubble, both coughing violently in the cloud of dust. Vaas stared up at the hole and pursed his lips with another whistle.

“Holy fuck, man.”, he croaked before grinning at Jason.

“That almost got me. You good?”

Jason rubbed his aching back and took in the sight of Citra’s demolished crypt. Most of the braziers had been knocked over and some of the roots intertwined with the floor had started burn.

“Yeah, let’s just go.” 

They used the pile of debris to climb through the hole and had to duck their heads when they found themselves in the hollow space right under the tree. Vaas went on to cut the roots, aiming to broaden a slender opening in between the wood so they could get through.

“Hurry.”, Jason urged as he began to smell the smoke and feel the heat rise from the growing fire in the crypt.

“Paciencia, hermano.”, Vaas grunted while using all of his strength to tear a particularly stubborn root out of the way.

“Almost there.”

Finally, the root snapped loose with enough force the make Vaas’ back collide with Jason’s chest, almost throwing them back into the crypt. Jason groaned and pushed them both through the small opening just as the tips of flames started to lap at their footing.

They tumbled to the ground, both rolling on their backs to look up at the night sky, panting heavily. Vaas had his arms extended at his sides and his chest started to shake with laughter. Jason’s back was still giving him pain but he couldn’t help but breathlessly laugh as well. The fire was fast to spread to the tree and the two men got back up to their feet. The longer they stayed, the more likely the fire or the Rakyat were to get them.

And sure enough, now that the flames illuminated the temple in the darkness, they could hear the first angry shouts echo in the distance. Running through the gate, Jason smiled in relief when the Scavenger was still parked at the entry of the temple. They hurried into the car and Jason practically jumped onto the gas pedal, making a sharp turn and speeding away into the night.

“FUCK YOU ASSHOLES!”, he heard himself yell in triumph.

Vaas was still laughing hysterically beside him, his eyes trained on the rearview mirror to watch Citra’s temple blaze away behind them. He kicked the button to turn on the radio and Alborosie’s “Herbalist” started blasting through the speakers.

“What the hell just happened?”, Jason shook his head, causing some dust to fall from his hair which made Vaas laugh even louder.

“Fuck if I know, Snow.”, he replied, his laughter calming down to a chuckle.

“Honestly, I thought you were gonna fucking kill me the first chance you got.”

Vaas fell silent for a moment after that, returning to his new habit of studying Jason’s face.

“Why didn’t you?”

The smile slowly disappeared from Jason’s lips, leaving them slightly parted with no words coming through. He turned the question over in his head, inspected all its incriminating implications.

“Why didn’t _you?_ ”, he threw the question back, avoiding to answer and keeping his eyes on the road.

Vaas’ gaze dropped to Jason’s dirty hands on the steering wheel. He deflected as well.

“Hoyt did that?”, he asked instead, pointing at Jason’s missing finger.

Jason glanced at his own hand, his grip tightening.

“Yeah. But he didn’t kill my brother.”

Without a warning, he made another sharp turn that threw Vaas against the door to the passenger seat. They drove off the main road and headed into the jungle until the vegetation grew too wild to pass through. Jason grabbed his bag from the backseat and exited the car, renewed anger roughening his movements. Vaas was quick to follow, furrowing his brow at the abruptness.

“Hold up!”, he called after Jason who refused to turn around.

“Eh! Jason! Hold the fuck up.”

Seething, Jason spun around to shout.

“WHAT?”

The word echoed through the jungle, disturbing the night despite the many noises naturally sounding from the undergrowth. His rage was met with silence at first as Vaas suddenly looked uncomfortable in his skin, teal orbs breaking eye contact in favor of frowning at his boots.

“I’m sorry I killed your brother.”

_What?_

Rage deflated by shock, Jason’s mouth fell open before disbelief conquered his features. He tried to make out the lie in Vaas’ voice, the mockery but no cynical laugh or cruel joke followed the admission.

“I killed him to save face. He managed to escape. If I had let that slide, I would’ve lost my authority. I killed him to save myself like I killed all the others.”

Vaas forced himself to look at Jason again, the corners of his mouth turned downwards and his eyes glinting strangely.

“I went from killing for Citra to killing for myself. I’m sorry.”

“You…”, Jason started but his thoughts were too muddled to form a coherent sentence.

A large part of him refused to believe it. Vaas was a psychotic murderer who had tried to kill Jason so many times in so many ways, there could be no reality in which the pirate could possibly feel _sorry_ for what he had done. But when he thought about everything he had learned about his past, about his own experiences on the islands, maybe there was more to the man he had hated for so long.

“I was full of hate, Jason. And full of drugs. I had trapped myself in that corner I didn’t know how to get out of. And I became who I needed to be to survive.”

“Fucking excuses.”

“I’m not trying to make excuses.”

Vaas had raised his voice slightly, frustration bleeding through but he forced himself to calm.

“I just… wanted you to know.”

Which again made Jason want to question why? Why did Vaas want him to know these things?

“So what, now you’re a changed man?”, he provoked but Vaas merely gave him a shrug.

“I’m what I can be now.”

Jason huffed and turned again to leave. His hut was nearby, hidden deeper inside the jungle and he walked on without looking back. After arriving at the wooden structure, he carelessly threw his bag inside and sat down on the mattress to bury his face in his hands. Without his consent, tears began falling from his eyes, the tension of the entire day collapsing around him. He couldn’t deny that a different part of him had wanted to hear those words, had wanted to make at least a tiny bit of sense of his suffering. It didn’t absolve the pirate or lessen his grief but it felt right to have it acknowledged, explained.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Jason took a moment to check his clothes. They were covered in dirt, just like his skin. As he went through his bag aimlessly, he discovered that the deer meat from his earlier hunt was spoiled. Wrinkling his nose he took the bag outside to dump the meat down a hill where the animals could have a bite. As he did, he heard the rumbling of thunder and soon thick drops of rain were falling on his skin. Jason headed back just when it began to pour. He was completely drenched when Vaas reappeared on the path before him.

Jason stopped in his tracks and they both waited for the other to make the first move. Lightning flashed above their heads just as Jason threw the bag aside and launched at Vaas, gripping his collar tightly as he pushed him back into a sea of leaves. The pirate collided with a tree behind him and grabbed Jason’s wrists in turn.

“Why did you let me go?”, Jason yelled over the thunder, his resuming tears obscured by the rain.

“Why? Why did I get to live?”

His voice broke on the last note but he was too wrought-up to care.

“Why… why are we…”

His words trailed off when he noticed the open stare of teal eyes, the bright color that always captured his attention. The gaze dropped to his lips and time started to slow. Suddenly, Jason could feel every splash of rain that met his skin, could feel their synchronized breathing and his heart thumping in his chest. Vaas’ hands had released his wrists, hovered in the air as if unsure how to proceed. Then their warmth settled on his shoulders, his neck, moved to hold his face.

His own grip loosened, the ground seemingly pulled out from under his feet. He was struck with such a sudden, undeniable _want_ that it made him shiver. The atmosphere shifted between them and he saw how Vaas’ brow furrowed, his mouth parted in just as much confusion. Then he slowly erased the distance, his breath fanning over Jason’s lips as he covered them with his own, explorative and gentle.

Jason tasted the cigarettes and rain, along with a nuance that was pure Vaas. He wanted to scream but instead, his own hands slid up the tan neck, fingers resting at the base of the skull as he pulled him in closer. A moan sounded and their kiss grew hungry, no longer languid but urgent as they pushed together more firmly. Jason felt his heart race, overwhelmed by the sensory intake. Before he knew it, his arms had wrapped around broad shoulders in a clutch for balance as they swayed back and forth, recapturing each other’s mouths as soon as the need for air was satisfied.

Next, he could feel Vaas’ palm slide down through the wetness on his stomach, further down until his fingers moved under the waistband of his pants. Jason jumped back as if bitten by a snake. Panting, he stared at the man opposite him who regarded him with just as much awe and disbelief. Jason held his eyes a moment longer before quickly spinning around and running off into the jungle.


	3. Rakyat

“Fuck.”, Jason swore under his breath as he dashed through the door of his hideout, slamming it shut behind him.

“ _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ ”

He started to pace inside the small room that made up his living space while the rain was drumming loudly on the roof. He raised his hands uselessly before his face as if to tug on his hair but let them fall back down a second later. His gestures were erratic because a storm was raging inside him as much as it did outside in the jungle. Groaning, he sat down on his bed in an effort to relax, soaking the mattress with his wet clothes.

“What the hell are you doing, Jay…”, he mumbled to himself as he stared down at the wooden boards that made up the floor.

He could still taste him on his lips, feel his hands on his skin. It made him want to crawl right out of his body and at the same time run back out to find him. Humans were not meant to have such twisted, contradicting feelings, he thought. But after everything he had done, was he even still human at all?

At some point during the night, he must’ve passed out because the next time he opened his eyes, the sun was shining through his windows and the thunder replaced by the usual calls of the animals he lived among. Jason chose to put his things in order first, changing his clothes and cleaning up before he headed outside to retrieve his bag.

There was no sign of Vaas the entire day, and not the next day either. After a week had passed, Jason couldn’t stand it any longer. His thoughts were driving him insane. He couldn’t distract himself from them and he couldn’t sleep right. In the few hours he got to rest, he was brought back to that moment, the kiss on replay in his mind.

He packed what he needed and took the Scavenger to search the northern island. Wherever the pirate had come from the first time, there had to be some way to find him. Jason searched the abandoned outposts, the empty caves, and shipwrecks along the coast. To no avail.

By the end of another month, he was convinced that his reunion with Vaas had been nothing but an elaborate hallucination. An insanity induced nightmare. Either that or the Rakyat had gotten to him first which drove him no less crazy than option number one.

It was on the evening of another day spent searching the southern coast that Jason noticed something strange. He hid his car in the woods and walked along the cliff above the beach, coming across a secluded bay he hadn’t discovered before. Separated from the more accessible beaches lay a small settlement of shacks nestled between the high rocks. Jason frowned and pulled the rope from his backpack to climb down the bluff.

The settlement seemed to have been abandoned long ago. Most of the houses had collapsed and various components lay scattered across the sand. Among the wreckage, Jason made an old campfire place where a large board of driftwood was buried in the ash. Getting closer, he saw that letters had been carved into the wood, a list of names as far as he could tell. He crouched next to the board and began to brush the piles of ash away so he could make out more of the words.

Behind every name written, the name of a country was carved in as well, most likely indicating where the respective person came from. Jason continued reading, going down the list until his eyes went wide and his mouth fell open.

Near the bottom of the board, he could clearly make out the words: _Vaas – Montenegro_.

“What the hell…”

The following names were burned off but Jason didn’t need to see any more for now. He was completely confused already. Rising to his feet, he looked around again, trying to find more clues as to what exactly this settlement had been. The shacks that remained standing turned out to be empty as he went through each one. All he found were looted storage boxes and scraps of cloth covered with sand. There was no telling just how many years had passed since the last time someone had been here.

Frustrated to come away with even more questions than before, Jason decided to stop rummaging and make camp for the night. The sun had set and it would be much easier to search the area during the day. He removed the board with the names from the fireplace and gathered several pieces of driftwood to make a small fire. He shone his flashlight on the names and took pictures with his camera, just in case.

When the flames had grown enough to keep him warm he settled down on the sand, sorting his thoughts as he stared into the flickering light.

Had Vaas lived here at some point? Maybe after he left the Rakyat?

Jason had assumed that the former warrior had already been Hoyt’s underling before he made the choice to leave Citra and the tribe for good. There were still so many details missing from the story. Vaas said he ran away at the age of eighteen but Citra made it sound like Hoyt gradually lured him away.

_So they say to me, they say Vaas, Vaas, who the fuck is it going to be? Them or me? Me or them?_

Vaas’ screams echoed in his mind, the memory of his outburst suddenly replaying behind his eyes. He looked back at the board beside him, at the carefully carved letters.

_Amar – Bosnia_

_Amber – Australia_

_Adriel – Albania_

_Josip – Croatia_

“Jason…?”

He twisted around in a flash at the sound, his whole body tensing when he saw the man standing behind him.

“Dennis.”, Jason hissed and hurried up to stand, pulling the .44 Magnum from its holster.

The Liberian raised his hands in appeasement and took a step back.

“Woah there, relax! I’m not here to kill you!”

“Yeah right.”, Jason growled, pointing the gun at Dennis’s chest.

“How did you find me?”

“I just saw the fire from up the cliff. I didn’t know it was you until I got close.”

Jason regarded him with suspicion. His eyes scanned the area of the bay but he couldn’t make out any other warriors in the darkness. God damn, he had been careless.

“I never thought I would see you again! When did you come back?”, Dennis asked, his voice ringing with surprise and confusion that sounded genuine.

“Actually, I was planning to steal your backpack before I knew it was you.”

Jason spared a moment of his paranoia for enemies to take a more thorough look at Dennis. His clothes were little more than rags and his body skinny, his glasses cracked on one side.

“You’ve been on the run?”, he guessed and Dennis dropped his arms with a sigh.

“Not exactly.”

He sat down by the fire and Jason did as well but he still kept the gun pointed at the man next to him. The last time they had met, Dennis had tried to stab him before Citra jumped between them, saving Jason’s life with her sacrifice.

“The Rakyat banned me from the tribe. For three years, I’ve been living as a lone wolf. Surviving on my own. I thought about leaving the islands like you and your friends but I… I don’t know.”

Dennis pulled a flask from his own backpack, unscrewed the top while shaking his head. Jason watched him with a mixture of pity and recognition, releasing a deep breath through his nose. The Liberian took a long gulp from the flask before offering it to Jason.

“I’m surprised they didn’t kill you. They buried me in Citra’s crypt just a month ago.”, Jason stated matter-of-factly before taking a sip.

The other man stared at him wide-eyed, too bewildered to speak for a moment. He hesitantly took the flask back from Jason who grimaced at the strong taste of what turned out to be lukewarm rum.

“That must’ve been Archak’s doing.”

“Archak?”

“The new leader of the tribe, he used to be the head of Citra’s guards. As far as I know, he took over a year after her death, once he convinced enough of the warriors to back him.”

Jason furrowed his brows at that, from what he had gathered the Rakyat weren’t organized anymore, at least it hadn’t seemed that way. But he also hadn’t expected them to show up at Citra’s temple and been wrong with that.

“How do you know all that?”

Dennis gave a brief chuckle and swallowed more of the rum before giving a response.

“I’ve been by Citra’s side for many years, Jason. I had a high rank among her troops. Some of them still talk to me even though Archak tells them not to.”

Fair enough, Jason could believe that what the Liberian said was true. But with that new leader in the picture, a new threat was looming in the future too. _He needed to find Vaas._

“Hey, uh, does this mean anything to you?”

He lifted the board with the names from the sand and handed it to Dennis. The African adjusted his glasses, his forehead creasing as he went down the list.

“Ah, yes. Those were the settlers. Many immigrants built their own villages on the islands when they first arrived as a kind of collecting point.”

His words trailed off when he reached the end of the board.

“Oh, I see. It was this place…”

“What place?”, Jason demanded.

Dennis put the board down and gave Jason a nervous glance.

“Many years ago, this settlement was discovered by the Rakyat. This was before my time, mind you. I don’t know the full story.”

“Go on.”

“The older warriors told me that they coexisted peacefully at first but that some of the settlers went on to raid a native village. A fight with the Rakyat ensued and all of the immigrants were killed.”

Jason watched Dennis attentively in the light of the flames. He still sounded truthful but what he said failed to explain the most important detail.

“Why is Vaas on that list?”

The Liberian raised his brows and shoulders.

“I honestly don’t know. That’s all they told me.”

The embers crackled as the driftwood kept smoldering away and Jason watched the fire, remaining silent for a while. He wanted to ask Dennis if he had any idea where to find Vaas but he didn’t want to reveal the fact that the pirate was still alive if the Liberian was actually unaware. Chances were that he would use the information to better his standing with the Rakyat, maybe still wanting to rejoin their ranks.

“Thanks for telling me.”, he murmured while rising from the sand.

“Are you leaving already?”, Dennis asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

“I have a feeling we’ll run into each other again.”, Jason replied, flinging the backpack across his shoulder before heading towards the cliff.

“I didn’t mean to kill her…”, Dennis suddenly added, somberly staring into the flames.

“I know.”, Jason said without looking back, then disappeared into the darkness.

~+~

When he arrived back at his hideout, the sun was just rising above the mountain tops.

Tired and exhausted, he noticed too late that the door to his hut stood open. When he did, Jason made a grab for his handgun only to feel a strong hand wrapping around his wrist, twisting his arm behind his back. He screamed in pain and was shoved to the ground, a heavy body pressing him down. From what he could see with his face pushed in the mud, a tall, muscular figure stepped outside his hut, holding his journal in his hands. The man sported a ponytail of black hair with undercuts on both sides, his toned chest bared and covered in tatau.

He said something to the other warriors in his native tongue and the group laughed mockingly when he presented them the journal. Then he flung the book back inside the hut and took a torch from the man closest to him.

“NO!”, Jason screamed as his hideout was set on fire.

The tall leader of the group walked up to him and kicked his face to knock him out.

A raging headache woke him sometime later to see the same warrior staring directly at him. His features were sharp, his hazel eyes narrow atop high cheekbones, intricate tattoos on his chin and forehead.

“Archak?”, Jason asked quietly, earning himself a scowl.

“You should not know this name. You shouldn’t know anything about Rakyat. Foreigner.”, a deep voice growled.

Looking down himself, Jason noticed that he wasn’t tied up and that they left him his machete. He immediately pulled the weapon free and jumped to his feet, making Archak back away a few steps. They were encircled by Rakyat warriors who chanted in unison, giving them just enough room so they could…

“FIGHT!”, Archak yelled, revealing his own machete as he beckoned Jason to come at him.

Jason gritted his teeth, still not fully back to himself but already taking a swing. Archak dodged easily, using Jason’s unstable balance to make him trip over his leg. The crowd erupted in laughter and Jason hurried to get back up, holding his head. His vision was blurry but he had no time to gather his bearings as the other’s blade came rushing towards him with a vertical slash. He evaded getting his skull split in two by a hair’s breadth, moving aside and slicing Archak’s back in retaliation.

The warrior roared as he spun around too quickly for Jason to avoid the next slash aimed at his chest. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground as blood splattered, seeing Archak raising the machete again to bring it down on him once more when the sudden bang of a gunshot ripped through the air.

Archak turned to watch one of his men collapse with a hole in his head, soon followed by another as the shots continued. The crowd scattered and Archak yelled commands with an angry grimace. Hands were grabbing Jason’s shoulders pulling him behind a rock for cover just when an explosion rattled the ground.

Screams echoed from the distance and Jason was losing consciousness again. The last thing he saw was the random Rakyat warrior standing above him getting shot in the head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What better thing to do during lockdown than come up with more random Far Cry ideas.  
> Thanks for the kudos, I'm surprised people keep finding this, it's nice.  
> Have a nice day!


	4. Reborn

The strong smell of burning herbs brought him back around this time, his eyes opening to see the fumes dancing before him, filling up what looked to be a tent built of branches and leaves. The sun broke through the cracks, lighting the space enough for Jason to see his own bleeding chest and the man kneeling in front of him. It took him a few more seconds to recognize his face through the strands of black hair that lay slanted on his forehead. Jason attempted to sit up, only to find bandaged fingers gently pushing him back down.

“Vaas.”, he sighed weakly, oddly relieved, and eager to take in the sight of him.

His hair was slightly longer than the last time he had seen him, dark stubble covering his scalp. He wore a bullet-proof west over camouflage garb and Jason noticed several traces of blood on the clothes. A sniper rifle leaned against the branches behind him, next to a stack of landmines.

“Wha- what happened?”

Vaas held up a finger to his lips and put his hand on Jason’s forehead.

“Shh, shh… it’s okay… hold still…”

He took a smoking bundle of herbs, blew on the tip to fan the flames, and started to cauterize the cut on Jason’s chest with it. Although whatever he was inhaling helped to lessen the sensation, the sizzling of his flesh still made him wail, his eyes watering and body flinching violently. Vaas used the hand on his head to keep him down while he continued, closing off the wound bit by bit.

Jason tried to bear it as best as he could but the agony was close to overwhelming. Every breath hurt and he felt like he was going to pass out again just when Vaas finished the last of his cut. He removed his hands and put the bundle away, wrinkling his nose at the smell of scorched skin.

“Had to stop the bleeding.”

A raspy laugh sounded that Jason regretted immediately when a new wave of pain washed over his body. He waited for teal eyes to look at him before speaking.

“Not the worst thing you’ve done to me.”

Vaas snorted at that and started to get up. He moved around the tent and returned with a bottle of water. His thumb brushed against Jason’s bottom lip, prompting him to open his mouth. Jason complied, making a small gasp when the cool liquid was slowly dribbled onto his tongue. He swallowed greedily and more water followed until the bottle was emptied.

Jason sighed again and looked up at Vaas whose eyes were still watching him intently, now half-lidded and slightly darkened.

“I was looking for you.”, Jason whispered.

“I know.”

His fingers began to pluck at the bandages around his hands nervously.

“They trailed me, I would’ve led them right to you. Took those boneheads long enough but they managed to find you either way.”

“You killed them?”

“Some of them, yeah. Enough to get you out.”

Vaas gave a nod at the sniper rifle behind him.

“You’re glad I did, huh?”

Jason smiled weakly. Still kind of high on whatever herbs Vaas had used, it took another moment for his own nervousness to set in. During all the time he had spent looking for him, he hadn’t really made up his mind as to what exactly he wanted to say once they reunited. He wasn’t sure where they stood now but Vaas had helped him, _saved him_ , yet again.

“Did you get their leader?”, Jason asked, disregarding everything else that burned on his tongue.

“You mean _Arfuck_? Not yet but he’ll get the bullet soon.”

The tent grew quiet after that and Jason closed his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep. Before even considering a counterattack, he would need to heal. He heard Vaas take a few steps away from where he was lying on the ground and spoke before realizing it.

“I saw your name on a board, on a list of names…”

Vaas furrowed his brows and turned back towards Jason, not understanding what the hell he was talking about.

“There was this old settlement, mostly wreckage… I met Dennis there. He… he said there was a fight with the Rakyat and that all the settlers were killed.”

When he reopened his eyes, he saw Vaas staring at him, every trace of confusion washed from his face and replaced with shock.

“You found that place?”

Jason swallowed and gave a small nod. The former pirate leader held onto one of the branches for support. Teal eyes darted through memories before a chuckle sounded. Vaas briefly sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and clicked his tongue disparagingly.

“What happened back then?”, Jason asked.

A bitter grin split Vaas’ face before he started to take slow, deliberate steps through the tent, nearing Jason as he spoke.

“I used to go there as a child, played with the foreign kids. We taught them to hunt, they taught us their languages… makes me sound like fucking Tarzan but that’s how it was. Me and that one boy, we managed to get a tv and cassette recorder working. Watched a whole bunch of shitty movies.”

He laughed to himself at the memory, shaking his head.

“I started dressing and talking like him, spent more and more time there. We had some damn nice years. Problem was, my dear sister disapproved.”

The smile vanished from Vaas’ lips and he inhaled sharply through his nose, his posture growing tense.

“She decided to make up an excuse to have them all slaughtered. Spread the lie that they had raided one of our villages. When the tribe prepared to strike back, she put me on the spot. Asked me to choose.”

Teal eyes darkened and Jason sensed what was coming.

“I killed for my sister for as long as I can remember. Crushed every snake that crossed her path since the day I could walk. So when she asked me to do it, when she had them lined up in front of me…”

The vivid image of Liza and the others tied up at the temple popped up in Jason’s mind again. He closed his eyes, trying to force away the memory of his blade pressing against her throat.

“I killed all of them. Even…”

Vaas broke off, frowned at his boots while muting a sniffle.

“When I found out she had lied to me and what she wanted to do with me afterward… fuck, man… there aren’t enough drugs in the world for that kinda shit…”

He wiped his eyes with the tips of his fingers then suddenly chuckled again.

“… but hell if I didn’t try... burned quite a few synapses for good but the really nasty ones just stick.”

Jason felt a strong surge of sympathy for the pirate that made him curse under his breath.

“I took on the name after I ran away. Thought it would make it easier to get to Hoyt. Did everything I could to not seem like a native but he found out like he always does anyway. He offered me protection in exchange for information and later had me lead the charge against the Rakyat. Smart move considering everything I knew.”

“But you still kept up the act?”

Vaas shrugged.

“By that time, it no longer felt like one. I’d become someone else and I didn’t want to go back.”

“Vaas from Montenegro…”, Jason murmured, finally putting the pieces together and shooting the other a somber look.

The pirate gave another chuckle and sat down next to him.

“Crazy, huh?”

Jason wondered if the Vaas he had come to know was really just an amalgamation of various identities and if he would ever get to meet the original version of him. Then again, did it even matter? The man who was beside him was a new version in itself. A version that did not want to kill him, that wasn’t high on drugs and rage all the time, and that had actually saved his life more than once by now.

Nonetheless, Jason couldn’t help but be curious.

“What’s your real name?”, he asked before considering the consequences.

Vaas gave him a long look, teal eyes probing green ones. Jason hadn’t really expected him to reply when the pirate suddenly whispered.

“Cipta.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this little backstory,   
> I have fun coming up with it.


	5. Retrieve

“You should get more rest.”, Vaas suggested before Jason could pelt him with any more questions.

He no longer felt in a sharing mood and instead walked back to the exit of the makeshift tent, picking up his backpack on the way. Jason was trying to get another word in but Vaas managed to get out before having to hear it. He wasn’t sure why he had this need to let Jason Brody know all the details of his past, to begin with. It was kind of disturbing when he really thought about it.

Showing his hand so willingly to the man who had destroyed the life he once worked so hard to get. Not to mention what had happened about a month ago, that night in the jungle. He retrieved the cigarette stashed behind his ear and was quick to light it, ignoring the blush he could feel rising in his cheeks. Fucking Snow White and his pretty face…

He took a walk around the tent, checking the perimeter just in case but it was highly unlikely that Archak and his goons would be able to find them up here. He had built the tent on a shoulder of rock within the cliff that faced the east coast of the northern island. The rocks were covered in vines, making for a good hiding place. Vaas had camped out here since the last time they’d met, practicing himself in reconnaissance as he spied on the Rakyat who patrolled the beach below.

In the first months after Hoyt’s defeat, he had stolen a lot of gear from the remaining privateer outposts. Fancy stuff like a Z93, espionage tech, and various explosives. He made sure to put trackers and bugs on some of the vehicles used by the Rakyat and was able to eavesdrop on their plan to abduct Jason. The white boy had no idea just how lucky he truly was.

Not only because Vaas was still alive and able to locate his ass before Archak did but that he had gathered the means to save him when he needed to. Why he felt compelled to save him in the first place though, was another question. Seeing Jason after three years in which so much had changed had been nothing short of surreal. Hearing his voice had taken Vaas right back to that day at his compound, to the feeling of the dagger piercing his body.

In a way, he had indeed died at that point. The leader of the pirates was left to rot in a hole in the earth along with his henchmen, and the man who managed to dig his way out was someone who had been granted a clean slate. With everyone assuming he was dead, he could wait it out in the shadows. Patching himself back up the way he had been taught by the shamans, using the many healing plants Rook had to offer to those who knew where to look.

He had used some of them on Jason as well, confident that he would heal up well. Despite their past, Vaas wanted him to survive. He wanted to keep seeing that look of understanding that nobody else had ever given him. Because nobody else ever could without having lived through Citra’s carefully crafted manipulations.

Vaas exhaled deeply, smoke leaving his nose as he stared down the steep precipice. It would be a lie to say he never considered taking that one more step. In fact, during his first days getting clean, he had often toyed with the idea of either jumping or putting a bullet in his own head. Just to make the sickening withdrawal symptoms stop. But he had made a choice. The moment, he had climbed out of that grave, he had chosen to live, and that included getting rid of the crutches.

Well, at least of most of them. What he wanted was to keep a clear head for the first time in years. Even if it meant that the nightmares returned along with the harrowing guilt. It was a commitment he made to himself in an attempt to mend the broken pieces. Whatever remained of him deserved a fresh start.

In that sense, he owed Jason his freedom, even if the American hadn’t intended to give it. He looked back over his shoulder, at the tent where he hoped the other man was fast asleep by now. Whatever was going on between them confused the hell out of Vaas. His impulse to kiss Jason that night had come out of nowhere and turned into a runaway train. No higher thinking had been involved in the action, he had moved out of instinct, transfixed by those beautiful features and the desire to be close.

And if he allowed himself to admit it, he had always thought that Jason was beautiful. Enticing in a way that he shouldn’t be, in a way that made Vaas’ life that much more complicated.

He decided to go on a hunt to provide them with a meal at the end of the day and succeeded in bringing down a goat from a little further up the cliff with a well-aimed arrow. When he reentered the tent, Jason was sleeping just like he had hoped. He had roasted the meat already while still outside and knelt down next to Jason in an attempt to feed him.

“Wake up, Snow.”, he said softly, giving a gentle push to his shoulder.

Jason’s eyes blinked open, gradually focusing on Vaas.

“How long was I out?”

“Couple of hours. Here, have a bite.”

Vaas offered him the meat and Jason hesitantly took the small piece to put it into his mouth. He made a face at the taste as he started to chew.

“I hate goat.”, he complained and Vaas gave him a look.

“Forgive me for failing your fucking palate, Ramsay.”

Jason laughed at that and winced when his chest ached with the movement. Vaas, in turn, chuckled at his visible discomfort.

“You’re a fucking brat, you know that?”, he chided but the smile betrayed him.

“You love it.”, Jason teased and fell silent when he noticed the shift in Vaas’ eyes.

Feeling nervous again, he averted his gaze to his wound, tempted to pick at its edges for a physical distraction. His body started to feel warmer than it had any right to be given the blood loss.

“That night after…”, he started, feeling the warmth creep up his face.

“… why did you… why did you do it?”

Vaas’ breath sounded heavy as he straightened his back, any trace of amusement gone from his features.

“I don’t know. I kinda felt like you wanted it too. So I went for it.”

A muscle twitched in Jason’s jaw as he grew tense, fingers curling on his stomach. He _couldn’t_ want this. Not in a million years, not ever. He thought of Grant, of his brother’s blood on his hands, the empty look in his eyes as he faded away. His brow creased in a pained frown as shame settled heavily on his shoulders.

“If Grant were still alive, he’d kick my ass. He didn’t die so I could fucking… _daub_ his sacrifice like that.”

Anger was quick to rise and if he had been in better shape, Jason would’ve left right then and there. But as it were, he was stuck with his discomfort and the source of his conflicting emotions in this confined space.

“What if he could be alive again?”, Vaas suddenly murmured and Jason stared at him, confused.

“What?”

Vaas cleared his throat and adjusted his sitting position.

“There’s a very old legend among the Rakyat. It says that the people who die on Rook go to the underworld of the islands where they are trapped in _Puya_ , the land of the souls.”

His frown deepening, Jason moved to sit up as well, disregarding the pain.

“There is no way a place like that actually exists.”

One bandaged finger rose to silence him then pointed at the various tatau on Jason’s left arm.

“You thought a lot of things didn’t exist before you dropped down here, Snow. According to the legend, if souls have not yet fulfilled their purpose, there’s a way to bring them back. Puya spits them back out, even if their bodies have been fatally wounded.”

Jason looked down at his chest, remembered when Vaas had buried the Silver Dragon knife there, most definitely hitting his vitals…

“You’re shitting me…”

Vaas sighed and rubbed his temple.

“I don’t want to believe it, trust me. Thinking that one day, I might end up trapped in the same place as all the sorry bastards I sent down there, it’s not exactly thrilling. But when I… when you killed me, I had this sort of vision, you know. I saw those weird blue flames, those massive ancient structures… faces of people I shot… then I woke up at the bottom of the mass grave.”

The thoughts in Jason’s head were spiraling again. On the off-chance it was true, Grant's soul would be stuck in some kind of tribal purgatory with the likes of Citra, Hoyt Volker, Buck Hughes…

“Hell no.”, he cursed, his attention returning to Vaas.

“If… if that’s a real thing, how- how would we even get there?”

“Citra told me that the entrance to Puya can only be opened by those of the Talugmai bloodline. How exactly is a well-kept secret of the tribe that only the leaders and shamans know about.”

“And where is that entrance?”

Vaas shrugged his shoulders.

“She never said. Maybe she didn’t know it herself. But the shamans should.”

“Then we need to get them.”, Jason murmured, feeling a surge of determination.

There was a strong possibility that Vaas was just completely off his rocker but if they had even the tiniest chance to bring back Grant, he would take it.

“Nah uh uh, first things first, _you_ need to get more rest. I can’t babysit you out there with those fucks on our asses.”

Vaas stopped him from getting up with a firm hand pressing against his chest. Jason hissed in pain and lied back down, shooting him a glare.

“Alright. Asshole.”

His anger was answered with another chuckle before Vaas put his arms at either side of Jason’s shoulders, looking down at him as he spoke with a soft voice.

“You’re such a pretty mess.”

Jason’s lips parted slightly in surprise. The words didn’t register as an insult given that they sounded so strangely reverent. With a gulp he noticed the warmth radiating from the other man’s skin, suddenly close enough to catch that lingering smell of cigarettes again.

“By the way, if you ever call me by my birth name, I’ll throw you down the cliff.”

Jason couldn’t help the smirk that pulled at his lips.

“Oh, will you?”

“You bet.”, Vaas whispered and Jason’s gaze fell on his mouth.

It wouldn’t take much, just a small lift of his head, bending up just a few inches.

“Why are you helping me?”, he whispered back.

A deep breath ghosted over his face followed by a contemplative hum.

“You should get more rest...”, Vaas replied and slowly backed away, disappearing through the exit of the tent again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this getting an actual plot, you ask?  
> I ask that too. It might be so.  
> Thanks for reading.


	6. Ready

According to Vaas, Jason’s wound would take about four to six weeks to heal completely. While Jason understood the need to gather his strength before moving against the Rakyat, every day spent on sick-leave felt like one too many. Like valuable time wasted that he could use to find a way to save his brother. The possibility that Grant wasn’t entirely gone filled his nights with new dreams. Dreams of seeing his sibling again, alive and well, the way they were before Rook had swallowed them.

Jason wondered what the others would think about this. His late mother who never got to see her eldest son again after their fatal vacation, his younger brother Riley who so clearly missed Grant every day since he learned he was dead… and Daisy, Grant’s girlfriend, how would she react to the prospect that the love she grieved might not be completely lost? These kinds of contemplations served to keep him restless and if it hadn’t been for the sheer exhaustion, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep right for weeks.

But whatever plants Vaas used to treat his injury and fume up the tent were potent enough to dampen the anxiety considerably. To some extent, it worried Jason that he was essentially being drugged again, albeit to aid his healing process. Days went by with him remaining in a strange state between half-awake and dreaming intensely, but he could feel himself getting stronger.

Vaas continued to provide him with food, water, and the magic healing herbs, awfully careful whenever he touched his wound. The tenderness unsettled Jason, as did their playful banter and easy flirtations that came up way too naturally. Maybe they were distracting themselves from the reality of who they were or the smoke made it simple to forget for now. All that Jason knew for sure was that he was balancing on a razor’s edge.

Every smile Vaas gave him was a temptation. Every contact of skin made his pulse quicken and his throat dry. Some nights, it took every bit of willpower he had left to not wrap his arms around the man sleeping next to him. To pull him close like he had that one time in the rain, to get more of that intoxicating taste.

Vaas on his end did not initiate anything more than teasing remarks. He didn’t invade Jason’s space longer than necessary, he didn’t mention the kiss. He simply… took care, as if he had never been the psychotic pirate leader who put a bullet in Grant’s neck. Was he trying to make amends? It sure seemed like it but Jason never got an answer to his question.

When he felt well enough to move around and hold a weapon again, they headed out to a cave near the tent. Vaas explained that he used the natural tunnel to get to the top of the cliff without being seen. A swarm of bats erupted into flight as they entered.

“You still haven’t told me where we can find the shamans.”, Jason reminded.

Vaas began to half jump, half climb up a wall of rock beneath an opening in the cave.

“There are three shamans in every tribe. One female, one male, and one that can be either or both. When I was… when I was still with Hoyt, we managed to kill two of them.”

Jason watched a grimace ghost over the other’s features, quickly replaced by a neutral expression.

“The last one left is named Cahya, they should be hauled up at the oldest settlement on the islands, a fisher village on the north-west coast.”

They climbed outside the cave and Vaas offered his hand to pull Jason up. Jason accepted the help, was raised to his feet, and suddenly upright, standing really close to Vaas. His breath came too quickly and he removed his hand from the hold, diverting his attention to the bandages around tan fingers.

“What’s up with those by the way?”, he aimed to distract.

Vaas frowned briefly then looked down at his own hands.

His jaw tensed before he rubbed his arm, suddenly fidgety.

“Just a tic I can’t fully shake. Started with the meth I guess, I tend to injure my fists when I get stressed out, punching random things.”

Jason snorted and took a theatrical step back in playful precaution.

Vaas’ head fell to the side, his face blank.

“Really? After all the time I spent pampering your ass?”

The laugh was too loud and Jason bit his lip, forcing himself silent. Vaas swayed forward and smacked him upside the head with no actual force behind it. Both grinning, they headed down the mountain and into the jungle. Vaas’ car lay hidden amongst the vegetation, a grey Darrah with darkened panes that had seen its best days years ago. They threw their backpacks on the backseat and drove south towards the road leading up west.

“You sure this heap ain’t gonna die on us before we get there?”, Jason asked, his brows raised.

Vaas turned on the radio and started to tap his fingers against the steering wheel to DR Period’s “Money”. A little disgruntled at being ignored, Jason narrowed his eyes at the former pirate who only got more into it, turning up the volume, bumping his head back and forth in time with the beat.

Jason snickered as he watched Vaas mouth along with the lyrics, then turned his attention on the road.

They managed to locate the Rakyat village from up a hill. The wooden huts had been erected along a cliff face about a hundred meters beeline from where they were currently hiding in the grass. With his camera, Jason spotted about twenty warriors guarding the perimeter. Vaas lay on the ground next to him, binoculars pressed to his eyes.

“You see that building in the center with the pointed roof?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s where Cahya should be. I say we come back when it’s dark, sneak past the guards. The shamans perform rituals every midnight without anyone else present, that’s when we have the best chance to catch them.”

“Alright.”

Jason lowered the camera and checked the time.

“That gives us a few hours. Where should we go until then?”

Vaas stowed the binoculars in his backpack, smiled to himself, and looked back at Jason.

“How would you like to go for a swim?”

The suggestion was met with confusion before bandaged fingers took hold of his arm.

“Just come along.”

~+~

Under Vaas’ guidance, they walked through a forest of palm trees and arrived at a creek that wound its way through the rocks along the northern beach, eventually bleeding into the ocean. The sun was nearing the horizon, the sky painted in a sea of red colors. Slowly, Jason’s chin lifted to let him look at the first dots of stars peeking through the crimson shine. Vaas led him to a small cove sheltered by the rocks.

He stashed his backpack and weapons in one of the crevices, casting a brief glance at Jason before he started to undress. Suddenly unable to speak, Jason observed how Vaas pulled his black shirt over his head before his hands moved on to unbuckle his belt. He wanted to remark how this was a bad idea but the words got stuck in his throat as the other man’s pants hit the sand. With surprise, he noticed the elaborate tattoos trailing down Vaas’ left thigh. Looking closer, he recognized the symbols.

“The Heron, the Shark, and the Spider…”, he murmured and Vaas exhaled deeply through his mouth, raising his head to catch Jason’s stare.

Caught out, green eyes darted away while his ears picked up the sound of underpants being pulled down before footsteps moved across the beach and into the water. His heart was speeding up again as he hesitated another moment, then started to remove his clothes as well with slightly trembling hands. Vaas was already swimming along the rocks, diving out of sight when Jason dipped in his toes. The temperature was nice, the waves too shallow to hide any sharks that might like to take a bite out of them. Jason splashed his face and shoulders before walking on until he was hip-deep in the water.

The last of sunlight slowly started to fade, making way for more stars to appear in the sky. Jason held his breath and dropped under the surface, opening his eyes to see the turquoise world beneath. It reminded him of the visions he used to have, induced by whatever substance Citra had made him drink. He remembered sitting at the poker table, later walking along the stone bridge, seeing himself switch places with Vaas.

_Come on, end it!_

Jason blinked the image away and floated on his back, looking up at the glistening surface above him. When he surged back up, he could feel the other man standing behind him. He turned to see Vaas staring at the stars, wet strands of his mohawk plastered on his forehead. His teal eyes glinted in the remaining light. Jason could hear the sound of his own heavy breathing above the gentle splashes of waves and tried to force himself calm. His gaze dropped to the necklaces decorating the other man’s chest and traveled further down, cataloging everything he could see.

“Hey, Snow.”

It took the raspy sound of Vaas’ voice to bring his eyes back up to meet his stare.

“Yeah?”, Jason answered weakly.

Bandaged fingers made contact with his waist as Vaas moved closer. Jason sucked in a breath when those same fingers slid around his back, gently holding him in place. His own hands came to glide down Vaas’ arms, then up to his shoulders until they settled on his neck. Time began to slow as they angled their heads in sync, yet still merely looking at each other as if they were waiting for some unknown signal.

Then Jason brought his hand to the base of Vaas’ head like he had once before and pushed their lips together. He was welcomed with a hum and insistent press to his back that made their bodies align. Feeling the other’s skin against his own, completely bare and unobstructed, sent a shiver down his spine. Heat spread across his face when he noticed that they were both hard just from that, their shafts pressing against each other beneath the surface.

Jason sighed softly before diving back in for another kiss, sliding his tongue inside Vaas’ mouth. He was rewarded with a hand caressing his hipbone before it slowly reached down further between his legs. He moaned helplessly when fingers took hold of his length and started to grind into them. The kiss broke when the sensations grew too intense for him to coordinate himself.

“ _Fuck._ ”, Jason breathed, his eyes closed until he heard Vaas whisper.

“ _Look at me._ ”

The teal gaze that greeted him was nothing short of mesmerizing. Half-lidded and darkened, Vaas’ eyes were watching his face as he continued to move his hand, catching every twist of pleasure that played out on Jason’s features. It had been years but Jason was still surprised how quickly the touch of another made him lose all sense of control. His body sang with elation and he reached down his own hand to return some of it. Vaas’ eyes rolled back briefly when Jason palmed him. He muted a groan and trapped Jason’s earlobe between his teeth, biting down.

The knife’s edge of pain made Jason jolt in Vaas’ hold and he started to buck his hips more intently, closing in on his orgasm. Vaas moved his hand faster, matching Jason’s thrusts until his moans grew louder and more desperate. Jason’s free hand clawed at Vaas’ shoulder when he came with a shout. Riding out his release, he continued to grind against Vaas for a few more seconds before his breathing began to calm.

“ _Fuck…_ ”, he cursed again, for the moment completely spent as he leaned against the broad chest for support.

He noticed that Vaas had come at some point during his own orgasm as well and removed his hand from between their thighs. His skin still tingled with the aftermath, electrified wherever it touched the other’s body. Vaas rested his chin on Jason’s shoulder and stroked his hands over his back and arm.

They remained standing like this a while longer, caught in the sinkhole of unfolding intimacy. When his teeth began to chatter, Jason unwound himself from the embrace and they waded back onshore.

Vaas dried himself up with a towel from his backpack before handing the cloth to Jason who followed suit reluctantly. He still felt oddly displaced by what just happened, unable to pinpoint the exact emotion that made him speechless at this moment. They dressed in silence and somehow came to sit next to each other on the sand, watching the night sky through the opening of the cove.

“Ready to get potentially skewered for breaking into a Rakyat village?”, Vaas eventually asked, his eyes falling back on Jason who stared at the stars.

“I’ve never been ready for any of this.”, he murmured in turn before rising to his feet.

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chaotic energy romance ensues.  
> I hope you like it.  
> Thanks for the kudos and comments!


	7. Revenge

The guilt and shame didn’t hit him until they reached the top of the cliff that loomed over the fisher village. Jason stared at the back of Vaas’ head as they crouched behind a rock to remain hidden from the Rakyat warriors patrolling below. All of a sudden, the realization of what they had done made his entire body tense up. And what unsettled him, even more, was the sickening certainty that he wanted to do it again.

At the worst possible timing, Jason found it hard to focus when Vaas turned towards him, unsheathing his machete.

“Okay, now like we planned. You go distract them while I get down to the shaman.”

Jason blinked and then gave a tense nod, trying to shove all of his emotions aside.

“Okay… I’m… I’m gonna climb down at the opposite side. Lure them to me.”

The former pirate seemed to notice that Jason’s head wasn’t fully in the game but he didn’t say anything else before Jason began to sneak away to the other side of the cliff. Instead, he waited and watched through his binoculars as Jason climbed down through the crevices in the rocks, careful to not draw any attention until he reached the ground. 

Jason crawled under one of the wooden huts and then threw a stone back against the wall of rock, sending an echo through the night. One of the Rakyat warriors near the hut stopped at the sound and went off his path to investigate. Jason waited for him to be in reach before coming up behind him. Green eyes switched to the grenade dangling from the warrior’s belt.

Jason rushed forward just as the man was about to turn around, sliced his throat with his machete, and plugged the safety pin from his grenade. In the few seconds remaining, he shoved the warrior towards the cliff and slid back under the hut just as the explosion boomed through the air.

From one moment to the next, the entire village erupted in chaos. Screams sounded as the guards yelled out to each other and followed the noise.

At the other side, Vaas gave a low whistle and chuckled to himself as he quickly jumped more than climbed down the precipice, landing on the sand with a thud. Meanwhile, Jason sneaked from one hiding spot to the next, utilizing the darkness but it became more and more difficult to evade the Rakyat as they started to search for him. Those that blocked his way, he was quick to kill silently, leaving a trail of bodies for the rest to follow.

While he moved in the shadows, Vaas hurried towards the back of the shaman’s hut, taking out the one guard that stood in front of the backdoor by throwing a knife at his head. The blade pierced his skull, killing him instantly as Vaas reached the door. He wasted no time sneaking inside and found the shaman, Cahya, sitting in a circle of candles in the middle of the room.

The shaman spun around, wide eyes fixed on Vaas before they narrowed in a scowl.

“Pengkhianat!”, they growled and Vaas bared his teeth menacingly.

The flames of the candles seemed to grow as he stepped into the circle and grabbed a fistful of Cahya’s long, braided hair, forcing the shaman up and towards the exit.

Outside, Jason was still skulking between the buildings, taking out every warrior that got too close. By now, he was getting closer to the shoreside of the village where a jetty reached into the ocean. Like they had discussed before starting the abduction, Vaas was nearing the beach from the other side, dragging the tied up and gagged shaman with him.

He waited until they were seeing each other then used the detonator in his free hand to set off the explosives he had planted in Cahya’s hut. The blast lit up the night sky with a bright orange blaze and diverted the attention of the remaining warriors long enough for Jason and Vaas to get onto one of the patrol boats and speed off into the darkness.

~+~

They drove along the west coast until Vaas stopped the boat next to a cave opening at the shore. Jason knew the next step of their plan. Vaas would take the shaman into the abandoned cave to question them and he would carry on with the boat to find someplace to hide it.

“Here.”

Vaas handed him an earpiece similar to the one Willis had once given him. He roughly pulled Cahya to the edge of the boat, her hateful eyes never leaving Jason’s face.

“See you later, Snow.”, Vaas murmured, his own eyes cold as he shoved the Rakyat overboard and jumped into the water afterward.

Jason took a moment to watch them swim inside the cave before restarting the engine. He left the boat near a small island a couple of miles away and swam back on land from there. He managed to find a Stryus he could drive back to where he had marked the cave on his map. After hiding the car in the jungle, he ran the rest of the way, coming out on top of the cavern.

The sun was starting to rise when he jumped down into the water, taking fast strokes to reach the inside. A lantern illuminated the slope leading up further inwards and Jason rose onto the rocky ground, walking on until he saw Vaas kneeling opposite the shaman with the lantern positioned between them. 

Cahya was bleeding profusely from multiple gashes on their face and Jason noticed the scarlet stains on Vaas’ bandaged knuckles. Though beaten bloody, the shaman sat up with their back straight, their skinny figure framed hauntingly by the light of the lantern.

“Got anything yet?”, he asked quietly and Vaas stood up without looking at him.

He spat on the ground before Cahya’s feet then turned towards Jason with the same bland expression from earlier.

“There’s a ruin in the center of the island, they call it the _giant’s eye_. It’s like a sort of spiral structure made of stones, I remember it from back in the day.”

Jason’s eyes lit up.

“You mean that’s where the entry to Puya is? Can we open it?”

“Yes.”, Vaas huffed and Jason frowned when he saw his lips tug down in a grimace.

“We can open the gate with my blood but if we make it through, there’s no guarantee we will make it back out while still being… human.”

“What do you mean?”, Jason asked sternly.

“Puya is the land of spirits, the souls that go there… they change. Take on a new form.”

Vaas raised his chin to meet his stare.

“Chances are you won’t be able to recognize your brother, even if we find him.”

Green eyes darted through the space between them while Jason’s mind took in the information. Next to worry and confusion, his chest filled with the swell of defiance.

“I will find him.”, he said determinedly and Vaas held his eyes, giving a small nod.

“Alright.”

He turned back to Cahya and removed the machete from his belt.

“I know you only told me all this because you want us to go to hell.”, he spoke quietly, taking measured steps towards the shaman.

“I’ll guess we’ll see you there.”

His arm shot out towards the smaller body, piercing Cahya’s chest with the blade. The Rakyat collapsed with a gurgled scream and Vaas wiped the machete on their clothes.

“You knew about her plan. And you never said a damn thing.”, he murmured to the dying shaman, teal eyes glazed with ice.

“You watched me murder all my friends.”

“ _Cipta Talugmai_ …”, Cahya gasped with their last breath.

“ _Puya will punish you…”_

Vaas sneered as he turned around, walking past Jason who couldn’t keep the worry from his face.


	8. Reason

The drive back to their hideout was uncomfortably quiet. Vaas kept staring out of the window and Jason was lost in his own thoughts. Everything Cahya revealed was a reason for trepidation and for doubt but that wasn’t the only thing occupying Jason’s mind. He glanced at Vaas’ profile, his prominent scar, and his cold expression. This sudden sense of distance between them in the aftermath of yesterday confused Jason even more than he already was.

When they arrived back at the tent, he couldn’t keep the thoughts in anymore.

“Are you sure you wanna go through with this?”

Vaas stopped near the pile of blankets that had been their shared sleeping place for the last weeks and slowly turned around to shoot Jason an irritated look.

“You ask me this now, why?” 

Bringing up his hand to support himself against the branches, Jason sighed and briefly rubbed his eyes.

“All of this brings up a lot of stuff from your past. You seem bothered and there’s nothing in it for you.”

“So?”, Vaas shrugged, his brows knitting together.

“You hear me complain?”

“No, but I… I just don’t get it. You’re taking all these risks, first I thought it was for revenge. But the way we’re headed now, it no longer makes sense.”

Jason shifted uncomfortably, feeling Vaas’ eyes on him.

“If you’re doing this to… make amends… you should know that I don’t think I can ever forgive you for what you did.”

When he raised his head, the gaze he found was no longer angered but empty of any emotion. Vaas looked down at his hands and started to unwind the bloodied bandages.

“Forgiveness is not what I want from you, Jason…”, he murmured finally, crumpling up the stained cloth before throwing it into the opposite corner of the tent.

For the first time, Jason got to see the striking patchwork of scars that covered Vaas’ fingers. The thin white lines marked the spots where his skin had been broken, over and over. Vaas curled and unfurled his hands as he stepped closer to Jason.

Then those same fingers sneaked under Jason’s shirt, trailing up his stomach and caressing his chest. Jason shivered slightly at the contact as it raced along his nerves, froze up in a moment’s hesitation before shoving Vaas away, making him fall back on the blankets. A heartbeat later, Jason was on top of him, roughly pulling free his belt and dragging down his pants. Vaas watched him with a mixture of surprise and growing excitement, allowing him to take control.

Jason tugged up his shirt to kiss a line from Vaas’ chest to the trail of black hair leading down between his legs. His movements were hasty and urgent as he dipped further down, encircling the tip of Vaas’ dick with his lips. A stifled groan sounded from above but Jason couldn’t bring himself to look up as he opened his mouth to take in more.

Fingers came to rake through his hair, holding on when he started to bob his head.

“ _Jason what the fuck…_ ”, Vaas drawled as he arched his back, driving himself deeper into the smooth cavity of Jason’s mouth.

Jason moaned around the cock between his jaws, his brows furrowed in helpless want. He began to grind his hips aimlessly, increasingly desperate for friction. Saliva leaked from the edges of his lips, easing the slide as he picked up the pace. Vaas tasted of saltwater and the bitter flavor of precum that trickled from his slit. Jason laved his tongue over it, earning himself an unbridled groan as the other man started to come apart under his ministrations.

Vaas bit his bottom lip but the sighs and hums were coming freely now as he gave small thrusts in time with Jason’s movements. Just when the pressure in his groin was becoming too much, he pulled Jason’s head away from himself, watching his flushed shaft slip out from equally reddened lips. The salacious sound alone had him moaning again but he hurried to drag Jason down beside him, quickly unzipping his pants and tugging them off.

Jason’s breath hitched when he was positioned on his knees with his elbows pressed against the ground. Vaas spat audibly in his hand and wetted his hole.

“ _Hurry._ ”, Jason whined, his own erection heavy between his thighs.

Vaas growled as he moved his fingers inside him, stretching the muscle. He bent forward and let more of his saliva drool on Jason’s entrance, making the American curse heatedly.

“ _Oh god fuck me_.”, Jason groaned and Vaas removed his fingers.

His cock brushed over Jason’s crack, eliciting another tortured moan.

“That’s what you want?”, Vaas asked, his own voice strained but he somehow mustered enough restraint to tease his tip against Jason’s hole without pushing in completely.

Jason hummed and nodded his head. Placing one hand on Jason’s hip, Vaas swallowed as he guided himself inside with the other. The body before him gave a small wince at the initial stretch but gradually allowed him to slide further, deeper and deeper until he was fully seated within. A heavy sigh left Vaas’ lips at the feeling of velvet heat tightening around him. Jason was biting his hand, adjusting to the pain but moaning softly when Vaas gave a few gentle thrusts.

Slowly, Jason’s moans grew more pleading and the thrusts came faster, harder until Jason clawed at the blankets on the ground, gritting his teeth as he was rocked forward with each movement. He looked back over his shoulder and saw tense muscles working against him, tan skin glistening with sweat. He caught the darkened gaze of teal eyes as Vaas’ fingers dug deeper into his hips, pulling him in as the next thrust hit his prostate and made him see stars.

Jason moaned loudly when it happened, again and again, the cock inside him repeatedly pushing against his sweet spot until the pleasure built so high he couldn’t delay it anymore. He was on the brink of cumming when Vaas suddenly slipped out of him. His angered whine broke off when he was turned on his back, his trembling legs put on broad shoulders as Vaas entered him again.

A slick hand wrapped around his neglected length and if Jason had seen stars before he was in heaven now. The uninhibited vocalizations continued when Vaas managed to find that riveting spot inside him again, stroking Jason in time with his thrusts. His black hair was falling into his eyes when they looked at each other, their faces glowing with heat and shining wet.

When the hand around him gave another particularly tantalizing twist Jason gasped and felt his muscles tense.

“ _If you pull out again I’m gonna fucking kill you_.”, he rasped out quickly, and Vaas laughed breathlessly before speeding up to finish.

Thrusts turned into pounding and moans into shouts until Jason spilled his pleasure, his cum streaming through Vaas’ fingers and staining his stomach. A few seconds later, liquid warmth leaked inside him, and Vaas gave a couple more jerks of his hip before he sighed deeply and ceased his movements. Slowly, their breathing started to calm and Vaas rested his head against the knee still hooked around his shoulder, watching Jason with a dreamy expression.

Both of them were still dressed from the waist up and now completely soaked. Jason hesitantly lowered his legs and Vaas slipped out of him to stand up and pull the wet shirt off over his head. Jason did the same and blankly stared at the viscous fluid that ran down his thighs when he moved into a sitting position. Vaas threw him a towel to clean up, lying back down next to him afterward.

Jason rolled on his side with a wince. Physical and hormonal exhaustion settled in heavily as he searched Vaas’ eyes, reached out, and brushed the hair from his face. He was too tired to keep his own eyelids from falling shut and sank into sleep a few breaths later.


	9. Raid

Moonlight shone through the branches that made up their tent, the next time Jason opened his eyes, only to find Vaas looking right back at him. They must’ve slept the entire rest of the day which wasn’t surprising given that neither of them had gotten any shuteye since they headed out to the Rakyat village. And considering everything else that had happened within the last 48 hours, Jason felt that he actually needed a century more of sleep to fully recover.

The air was filled with the lingering smell of herbs and sex, still warm from the heat of the day. The tropical nights always were but the sensations had never felt quite as visceral as they did at this moment. Jason’s chest rose and fell with a deep breath as he continued to watch Vaas in the cool light. Orbs of teal traveled over his face as well, glinting with the same quiet curiosity.

“What the hell is wrong with us…”, Jason whispered after a while.

Vaas exhaled deeply through his nose and ran his fingers through Jason’s hair that had gotten longer as well, the brown strands twisting into curls at the ends. Jason sighed at the pleasant feeling but the returning surge of shame made his lips close in a tight line. Shame that only grew when he noticed the new stirrings of arousal as Vaas’ hand stroked down his neck and shoulder, slowly following the curve of his naked body until he reached his hip. Jason bit his lip, brows creasing as the fingers remained, still for now.

He became painfully aware that there was so much more he wanted to do. Sex had never been this unraveling for him and Jason realized with a terrible certainty that he was _fucked._ The ways he had been with Liza or Citra were of an entirely different nature. Nothing had ever felt this consuming, despite the fact that he had loved both of them. The reality of it made him despise himself even more if that was actually possible.

Vaas’ gaze had trailed down Jason’s body, now fixed on the hardness growing between his legs. The shift in his eyes alone was enough to make Jason squirm despite himself. He couldn’t summon the strength to protest when Vaas rolled him on his back and settled down between his legs. Covering his face with the backs of his hands, Jason started to hum and moan quietly when a hot mouth began to slide over his length. The movements were agonizingly slow and indulgent, positively driving him further insane.

Vaas wrapped his arms around Jason’s thighs, apparently completely devoted to his self-assigned task of giving Jason the best damn blowjob of his life. Beads of precum formed not long after and when Vaas moaned around him, dragging his tongue up the ridge to lick them off, Jason cursed so loudly that his ears rang.

Vaas didn’t really react, only continued to suck him off with long, content bobs of his head. Jason was panting by now, the tingling sensations making him squirm and buck his hips weakly to meet the downwards slides of Vaas’ lips. His seams came entirely apart when fingers were suddenly circling his hole, pushing in teasingly.

“ _Vaas, please_.”, Jason whimpered, the tendrils of a new orgasm snaking up his spine.

Turned into a writhing mess, he didn’t object when Vaas withdrew his mouth and fingers in favor of aligning himself between his thighs. He slid in easier than the first time, smoothly sinking deeper as he leaned over Jason, moving down until their chests were almost touching. Then he removed Jason’s hands from his face, pinning them gently above his head as he started a tentative grind of his hips.

Jason sounded his enjoyment, his lips parting with a gasp before Vaas covered them with his own. Tasting himself on the imploring tongue, Jason moaned into the kiss and began to move his body in synchrony, adding to the slow, addictive friction.

His system overflowing with bliss, he was surrendering to the moment, every feeling so intense that his nerves hummed with delight as he was inevitably pushed to the breaking point. 

“ _I’m gonna cum._ ”, he uttered between their mouths and Vaas gave a lick to his bottom lip.

“ _Oh yeah?_ ”, he whispered, shifting his position and putting more force behind his thrusts.

Jason groaned and wrapped his legs around Vaas’ waist, encouraging the roughness. Vaas released one of his wrists to snake his fingers around Jason’s cock, rubbing his thumb over the tip.

“ _You gonna cum?_ ”

Being handled in this way triggered something deeply gratifying and Jason arched against the blankets, adjusting himself so Vaas could hit just the right angle. Vaas moaned above him and started to drive himself in hard in response.

It wasn’t long before his body tensed again, his brows furrowed and mouth falling open with a broken cry as he came all over their chests. Vaas continued to fuck him through it, mirroring Jason’s expression when he followed him over the edge with a final sharp jerk of his hips. The tent filled with the sounds of their heavy panting, greedy puffs of breath further dampening the air.

Vaas sat back enough to look at where their bodies were still connected, brushing his fingers through the wetness on Jason’s lower body.

“We’re so fucked, Jason…”, he murmured and Jason shivered when nails gently grazed over his shaft.

Despite the atmosphere threatening to crush him, he forced himself to meet Vaas’ eyes, finding them filled with the same conflicting emotions that he felt inside his chest. The unsettling mixture of post-coital haze and quietly looming dread.

~+~

The following night was the date of a full moon which according to Cahya was required for the gate of Puya to open. They arrived at the site of the ruin close to midnight, another factor that played a role in performing the necessary ritual. The _giant’s eye_ as it turned out was a much larger structure than Jason had anticipated.

Surrounded by high-towering walls lay an ellipse of tessellated stone with a spiral basin in its center. From their current position on top of one of the rock columns, it really did look like one massive eye built right into the heart of the jungle. Though still impressive, the ruin was covered in vegetation and appeared more ancient than any of the temples Jason had seen so far.

Rain had started to pour a few hours ago, forcing them to move carefully on their way down slippery stones. When standing at the edge of the downward spiral that mimicked an iris, Vaas removed a knife from one of his pockets and jumped down onto what looked to be the pupil elevated slightly from the stonework. Jason was quick to follow and stared down at the markings on the delve in the ground, recognizing the ornamented symbols used by the Rakyat.

Thunder was booming over their heads, making the scene no less anxiety-inducing as Vaas brought the knife to his hand, cutting his own palm. He curled his fingers into a fist and lowered his arm over the hole in the very center of the pupil, just like the shaman had instructed.

Scarlet drops fell into the darkness and suddenly, the structure around them began to shift. Jason shot Vaas a worried look as the entire spiral started to spin, rising up while simultaneously lowering the pupil they were standing on into a tunnel. A portal was revealed when the movements stopped, opening from the center of the spiral into an illuminated passageway.

Vaas frowned but stepped down from the pupil to head further inside.

“You sure?”, Jason called behind him.

They looked at each other for a prolonged moment before teal eyes abruptly rose to stare at something above them. Jason turned to follow Vaas’ line of sight and saw the tall frame of Archak standing on top of the spiral, his face obscured by the darkness.

Vaas pulled Jason through the portal just in time to evade the arrow Archak sent flying towards his head. They could hear his bellowing voice calling for his warriors as they ran along the corridor, soon to be followed by the sounds of footsteps chasing after them.

The passage opened into a large hall, the source of light being strangely glowing patches of blue texture that spread across the walls. They reminded Jason of the glow worms he had seen in some of the caves he had explored but he didn’t get the time to marvel at the sight when another arrow missed his head by a hair’s breadth. Vaas was a few steps ahead of him but slithered to a halt when the ground in front of him dropped into a steep chasm.

Jason appeared at his side and stared down into the abyss.

“The hell do we do now?”, he panted facing the other right when another arrow ripped through the air and into Vaas’ shoulder.

“NO!”, Jason yelled and spun around, pulling the gun from his holster and shooting at their pursuers.

Blood gushed from Vaas’ wound and down into the chasm as he gripped the edge tightly. He heard Jason scream when the next arrow hit the American’s calf, forcing his knees to collide with the ground. But his bullets had found their marks too, dropping three of Archak’s men before shooting off the Rakyat leader’s left ear with a graze. Still, there were too many of them and they were closing in fast.

Jason had just enough time to make out Dennis’ face in the crowd when Vaas slung his arm across his neck and pulled both of them down over the edge.


	10. Realm

From one moment to the next, the world turned upside down as they fell into the darkness. Seconds stretched endlessly and Jason felt weightless in his descent until a dim blue light filled the space around him, almost like he was floating underwater. Gradually, that blue shine turned red and then faded back to black just before the world was flipped again.

Suddenly, he was standing on a vast, open plane, expanding endlessly into a pitch-black horizon. To his feet, strange rivulets of blue flickering texture streamed through rocks and eerily luminescent grass. Looking around, he saw no sign of Vaas and began to call out for him.

“Vaas? Vaas where are you?”

It was impossible to ignore the sensation of sickening worry as it quickly locked his heart in a vice. The other man had been gravely injured, bleeding at a concerning rate… wherever he landed, could he even remain conscious? Keep himself alive?

Jason bit his lip and took unsure steps across the plane. Dust of shimmering blue sparks filled the air, rising from the rivers almost like sea spray. With no sense of direction, he could feel the first inklings of panic spread throughout his body. He tripped over the rocks and caught himself with his hands splashing into the glowing fluid. As soon as he touched the ground, the tatau on his arms began to glow as well.

“What the hell?”, he murmured and inspected his left arm.

The symbols gleamed bright white, then cyan, and eventually blue. Looking down at his injured leg, Jason saw that the blood oozing from there was shining the same colors. The arrow had disappeared and so had the pain but the wound was still leaking.

“Are you lost?”

Spinning back around and onto his feet, Jason instinctively reached for his gun, only to find that he had lost all his weapons. His wide eyes narrowed in confusion when he saw the figure standing opposite him.

The body was tall and humanoid, the skin ashen and covered in odd, lilac hieroglyphs. Sharply pointed protrusions poked out from its back and head, branching out like boughs. One of its hands was formed like some kind of a long, straight claw, the fingers of the other equipped with spiky nails. The face was a mask of deep carvings that only spared the ghostly flickering eyes and mouth.

Its voice sounded distorted, yet hauntingly familiar.

“No earthly possessions down here, mate. If you want to fight, you’re going to have to use what you got.”, the creature explained, wagging its finger chidingly.

Jason gritted his teeth, his hands curling into fists as the figure slowly stalked closer.

“You freshmen always make that mistake. And it never stops being funny.”

“What the hell are-“, Jason began but from one moment to the next, the monster was gone.

The low grunt in his ear was the only warning Jason got as the beast suddenly appeared right beside him and threw him to the ground.

“Argh! How did you-“

The monster chuckled darkly above him, revealing two rows of glowing teeth.

“I can appear anywhere, any time. And I know where you’re headed.”

Jason stared up at the contorted face, the sense of recognition sparking in his mind. Up close he noticed the hieroglyphs cumulated in a sort of mosaic painting on the creature’s chest with a single white line interrupting the pattern right where the heart should be.

“ _Buck?_ ”, Jason gasped the monster dropped down on top of him.

A wet dripping tongue darted out to lick its lips as it bent down and Jason lashed out, scratching his nails over the beast’s chest. The creature screeched loudly and jumped away, four new lines sliced into its front. It growled in anger but disappeared a second later, just as Jason was back on his feet.

His eyes searched the area, his body ready to fight but the monster didn’t return. When his gaze shifted to his own hands, he realized with a start that his nails had become longer, resembling claws while his right arm was now covered with a pattern of white lines. Studying the rest of himself, Jason watched as the strange stripes also appeared on his torso and legs, shimmering like silver.

“What is happening to me?”, he whispered, running his fingers over his arms.

With no clear sense of time, he resumed walking aimlessly until the plane before him filled with a thick, blue fog that made it harder and harder to see. The wound on his calf left a trail on the ground and Jason stopped abruptly when he could hear high-pitched noises echoing behind him. As he turned, the sounds suddenly seemed to come from a different direction and eventually, from all around him. He could hear himself growl threateningly, his muscles tensing as his eyes darted through the fog.

“Come out. Come out and face me.”

The gravelly ring of his own voice gave him pause, momentarily diverting his attention just when a shadow jumped out of hiding, tackling him from the side. Jason bared his teeth and ripped the smaller body away from himself, throwing it back into the fog. From what little he had seen, it looked humanoid as well but with skin covered in black smoke and eyes blazing like fire. Another shadow jumped forth, this time attacking his leg and Jason kicked its head in retaliation, jolting when the skull cracked and orange light flashed from the inside.

The third assailant leaped on his back but Jason managed to remain upright. His nails dug into the being’s neck and hauled it off over his shoulder. The piercing squalls continued as Jason started to run, panic flooding his veins again. Then the ground gave way under his feet and he fell straight down, further and further until he dropped into what felt like a sea of mud.

Jason grunted as he tried to dig himself out of the sludge when he was suddenly pulled up by his arm. Someone dragged him out and onto solid ground, releasing his arm and allowing him to catch his breath. Coughing, Jason supported himself on his hands and knees, wiping the mud from his face so he could look up at the person looming over him.

Just as he was able to lift his head, the other being pushed him down to the ground, pressing an underarm against his throat to keep him in place.

“Who sent you here?”, a suspicious voice asked and Jason looked up to see a face that looked like it was made of stone, all hard lines, and a deep frown.

Jason squirmed weakly under the intense pressure and was about to reply when the stone man’s features lit up in surprise and the weight was at once lifted off his body.

“Jason Brody?”

It sounded more like a statement than a question, and Jason coughed again as he moved back up, coming to a stand. His eyes traveled over the stony frame, and soon enough he recognized him too.

“ _Sam?_ ”

The lithic face cracked into a smile, dust raining down from the mouth. Jason’s gaze was drawn to the gash in Sam’s neck, remembering the moment Hoyt had slammed his knife there.

The shape of his body looked like it was carved from basalt, dark in color and moving cumbersome.

“What are you doing here? Were you killed too?”, Sam asked, trailing his ivory eyes over Jason.

“No, I… I came here to save someone. My brother.”, Jason explained, relieved to encounter a soul that wasn’t trying to attack him for once.

Stony brows furrowed at that and Sam tilted his head to the side.

“But we found your brother, oder nicht? Riley, ja? Did Hoyt murder him?”

“No, I mean my other brother. His name is Grant. Do you know how I can find him?”

Sam hummed in contemplation, then gave Jason a worried look.

“Unfortunately, nein. I don’t know where your brother could be. But the spider might.”

“The spider?”

“Ja… its web spans every corner of this world. No vibration goes unnoticed. If you’re trying to find someone down here, the spider is your best chance. But Jason…”

Clunky limps creaked as Sam stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“… souls can easily get trapped in the web and never get out. The spider likes to play with them, uses them like puppets on strings to do its bidding. And that’s not the only danger lurking on the way. The majority of souls that come here turn into demonic spirits.”

Jason took a slow step back, raising his eyebrow.

“Is that what happened to you?”

A moment of tense silence passed before Sam erupted into bellowing laughter, clouds of dust breaking from his mouth.

“Hahaha, it sure looks like it, oder? Aah, to be honest, I think you might be right. My realm isn’t exactly cozy.”

“Your realm?”

Jason spared some time to look around but he didn’t see much else than stony soil and puddles of mud covering the expense. Then a shadow appeared a small distance away, the same he had seen in the fog, and started running towards them.

“Sam.”

Jason pointed over the stone man’s shoulder and Sam slowly turned around to look. His laughter resumed as he let the shadow come closer, ignoring Jason’s calls to action. When the figure was almost close enough to jump at them, the ground beneath its feet suddenly crumbled, making the being topple into a bottomless pit. Jason watched the scene play out with wide eyes, staring at the hole that had opened out of nowhere and was closing again already.

“Where did it go?”, he rasped out in surprise and Sam chuckled.

“Who knows. They always come back though.”

“Did you do that?”

“Ja, that was me. It’s my kind of… how do I say? _Expanded energy_. Most of the strong ones here can do it some way or another.”

Jason thought back to Buck suddenly appearing beside him and his own weirdly potent slashes. His gaze switched back to his hands, scrutinizing the changes there.

“Am I turning into something else..?”, he spoke quietly and the smile disappeared from Sam’s lips as he turned back towards Jason.

“Let me give you a start.”

Sam stomped his foot on the ground and a staircase of rocks shot up from the soil. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Jason could see a broad shining ribbon stretch across the sky. It was wide enough to walk on and Sam helped him up on the thread.

“Thank you.”, Jason said and Sam gave him a small nod, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards.

“I hope you find your brother.”

Returning the smile weakly, Jason stood up and began to walk along the thread, heading further into the darkness.


	11. Rose

The uncountable fibers in the Spider’s thread were mesmerizing in a way, bendable yet firm, transparent yet luminous. They added a slight bounce to Jason’s steps as he followed the string deeper into the underworld. After a while, he spotted more of the threads stretching from every direction around him, each glistening and swinging marginally back and forth. The farther he got, the closer they came together, narrowing in on the center of the web.

_Jason._

The sound of his own name made him stop in his tracks, the voice clangorous and instantly recognizable.

_What is it you desire?_

The words echoed through space, and poked at his mind, triggering a memory. He remembered being at Citra’s temple, following her along to see the mural paintings, her pale eyes glancing back at him.

_Once, long ago, there was a lotus pond filled with clear water…_

While the voice continued to speak, the shimmering surface of an ocean appeared beneath the web of threads. Jason crouched down and stared at the water. Shadows were swimming in and out of sight under the waves, reminding him of various sea creatures.

_… he took the power from the land of the dead…_

With a gasp, Jason noticed that his tatau had started to glow again, along with the new markings on his body. Hesitantly, he carried on along the path until he saw the center of the web. It came to light like the only star in the sky, an enormous structure of threads expanding into every cardinal direction, some of its tendrils reaching into the water.

“Citra?”

A high chuckle reverberated through the air and a strong floral scent filled his nose when he was close enough to see her. Wrapped in glittering fibers and floating above him was Citra Talugmai, uncountable strings extending from her back like a halo that surrounded her entire body. Her skin was covered in an intricate pattern that made him think of the arboreal tarantula that inhabited Rook’s jungles, the colors alternating between red, orange, and teal. Her arms moved in a slow choreography, creating afterimages that made it seem like she had multiple limbs.

She was absolutely beautiful.

“ _Jason._ ”

Descending in front of him, she regarded him with a smile and eyes that appeared even more striking than he remembered.

“I listened to what you said in my crypt.”

Hearing her voice clearly now for the first time since the night she died, Jason felt his breath catch in his chest, his heart struck with a deep and sorrowful ache.

“Before you and my brother set it aflame.”

The shift in her tone was subtle yet dangerous and Jason lowered his gaze, staring at her feet for a moment. Maybe the guilt he felt was in some way misplaced but he used to respect the dead’s resting places in the past. Losing his father might have played a role in that. He and his brothers had visited the graveyard a lot after it happened.

“You’re looking for your brother’s soul. For Grant.”

Jason looked up to meet her imploring stare and gave a nod.

“He doesn’t belong here.”, he whispered.

Citra clicked her tongue and chuckled again.

“And who are you to decide that? Who are you to pry a soul from Puya’s grip?”

Filled with determination, he took a step towards her, earning himself a raise of her brow.

“If you want me to stay here in his place, I will.”

Deafening laughter assaulted his ears, so loud that he needed to cover them. The strings around them began to shudder with the vibrations, breaking Jason’s balance and making him fall on his knees. The noise seemed to last forever before Citra slowly closed her lips in a smile and leaned forward to cup his chin in her hand.

“It is not your decision to make. And neither is it mine. I am not the goddess of this place.”

Green eyes glinted with a sudden wave of hopelessness but Citra wiped the wetness from their corners before it could trickle down his face.

“Because of the love I once had for you, I will show you where your brother is. This is my last gift to you, Jason. Do NOT waste it.”

Her teal gaze briefly shifted into something dark and menacing before she moved back higher in the air and pointed at a red glowing thread extending from her web.

“This path will take you to him. It leads into the realm of a very powerful spirit.”

Jason climbed over the net to reach the crimson string, quietly wondering why Citra was willing to help him. As much as he wanted to believe that there was some form of tenderness remaining between them, he had learned the hard way that Citra’s love was not unconditional.

He was about to leave when his heart halted his step, demanding one more thing.

“Do you know where _your_ brother is?”, he asked before he could stop himself.

When he looked back, Citra was hovering in front of the center of her web, playing with the threads absentmindedly. She didn’t seem surprised by the question.

“I can feel his energy. But he has not come to see me yet. If he does, I want it to be of his own accord. I want him to come to me because he wishes it.”

Her teal eyes turned the shade of ice as she continued.

“Like he wishes to come to you.”

His heart gave another, painful thump at that and he turned his back to her, moving on in the direction she had pointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter because the next one will be longer.   
> I swear I'm not on acid when I write this stuff :D  
> Thanks again for the kudos and comments,   
> I hope you all are doing well.


	12. Reaper

Time and space were relative entities in this place, as Jason could not have fathomed just how long or how far he had walked when the sky above him turned a deep maroon color and tree-high reeds grew from the sea beneath him. The floral scent was now replaced by the smell of iron and the deeper he ventured into this new realm, the more the water appeared like blood.

Soon the reeds overgrew the path before him, standing so close that they blocked his view. Unable to push his way through, Jason was forced to jump off the thread and into the water. The red liquid swashed thickly as his feet dove in, surprisingly, the water here was shallow enough to stand. The coppery smell intensified as he waded through the forest of rushes and the things he felt under his heels sent shivers down his spine. 

And sure enough, when he reached a clearing in the vegetation, he could see bones and body parts in various stages of decay sticking out from the surface. Deciding to not walk any further just yet, he witnessed another of the shadows stalk across the glade, digging through the corpses in search of something. Jason narrowed his eyes and silently followed the shadow, watching through the reeds when the ground suddenly rattled with a strong tremor.

The shadow’s head snapped around to stare up at the sky just when some kind of large, elongated talon stabbed right through its chest and picked it off of the ground. Jason watched in horror how the screeching shadow punched down desperately on the claw, trying to pull itself free while being raised higher and higher until it disappeared in the maroon haze.

A loud, rupturing sound could be heard before black smoking limbs squelched down into the water within a rain of orange glowing fluids. Soon after, a devilish laugh filled the air and the ground was shaking again before everything fell silent. Jason wanted to curse but was too terrified to even breathe. The orange glow soon blurred with the red, and the shadow’s remains sank into the mud.

Heading further into the reeds, Jason couldn’t shake the dreadful thought that Grant might’ve suffered the same fate as one of those twisted creatures. Although he believed in his brother’s resilience, no normal being should be able to get through a nightmare like this unscathed. And even worse, Jason still had no idea how he was actually going to find him. Without the help of Sam and Citra, he would still be running around aimlessly but neither of them was here to guide him now.

Desperation tugging at his heart again, he slowly came to a stop, supporting himself with his hands on his knees. Hunched forward, he caught sight of his own reflection, the hopeless look in his own eyes. He noticed that the array of stripes had spread to his shoulders and neck, as well as his face.

“Where are you, Grant?”, he whispered pleadingly.

“How am I supposed to find you?”

_I can feel his energy._

Citra’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind again, followed by Sam’s.

_It’s my kind of… how do I say? Expanded energy._

Jason slowly straightened his back and stared at his arms. He tried to focus on one simple thought.

_Where is Grant?_

The lines on his body began to waver with a soft glow, and gradually, some of the pointy ends on his right palm changed their alignment, indicating the direction he should take. Jason almost jumped in relief and elation. He kept looking at his palm as he walked on, following the mystical compass on his hand. The route led to another clearing in the reeds, and without having to see his face, Jason immediately recognized the figure in the distance as his brother.

“GRANT!”, he screamed, tears welling up as the figure turned around to look at him.

His body was of a similar slate color as Sam’s had been and covered in a camouflage pattern. As he came closer, Jason also noticed what looked like webbed fins growing from his underarms and back. Grant drew back at first but then narrowed his blue eyes and tilted his head as recognition set in.

“Jason?”, he asked incredulously but Jason was already throwing his arms around his neck.

“Grant! Holy shit, Grant!”

Tears were falling freely from his eyes as he pulled his brother closer who raised a hesitant hand to his back before returning the embrace in full.

“Jay! That really you? Oh my god…”

The familiar sound of his voice made Jason weep as they held onto each other desperately. After all this time, there were so many things he wanted to say. So many things he had said while sitting by Grant’s empty grave on a hill in California.

“I’m so sorry, Grant… I’m so sorry this happened…”

“It’s okay, Jay.”

Grant moved back enough to get another look at him and smiled at him with a breathless laugh.

“You look a little different.”, he joked and Jason snorted, wiping his eyes.

“Yeah, you too.”

Grant extended his arms at his sides, spreading the thin-skinned fins there, and gave a playful shrug.

“Well, gotta adjust to the conditions.”

The happiness he felt was quickly clouded by worry as Jason looked around the clearing.

“We should hurry, this place isn’t safe.”

His brother furrowed his brows.

“No need to tell me. I’ve been here a while, Jay. Don’t worry, he’s not close at the moment.”

“Who is?”

“The heron.”, Grant murmured darkly, one webbed finger pointed upwards.

“He stalks this plane for souls. I try to save the ones I can.”

Jason gaped at him bewildered. He had thought his brother would be trapped somewhere, tortured by demons but as it turned out, he was the one fighting against the most threatening one he had seen so far. The fear in his heart was briefly eclipsed by pride before anxiousness returned.

“That’s very heroic but I came to get you the hell out of here. I and… we made it here through some sort of gate. If we manage to find it again, maybe we can get back out.”

Grant gave him a frown, then his eyes switched to the still bleeding wound on Jason’s calf.

“You mean you’re… you’re alive? _Down here?_ ”

His voice turned awfully serious on the last notes and Jason could feel himself grow tense in response.

“Yes, and?”

“AND that means you’re like a beacon, drawing every god damn demon right towards-“

The ground quaked again, making both of them stumble. Jason looked up wide-eyed as a huge body appeared from the redness above, its arm molded in the shape of the massive talon Jason had seen before. The face remained obscured by the haze but the resounding voice triggered his memory again.

_“And down into the earth, he went…”_

The talon came rushing towards them and acting on instinct, Jason shoved Grant out of the way. He was about to dodge as well when a strong hand gripped the back of his neck and held him in place.

“I told you I know where you’re headed.”, Buck’s distorted voice murmured in his ear right before the talon stabbed Jason’s chest.

“JASON!”, Grant screamed from where he had been thrown, quickly scrambling to his feet.

Buck’s laughter sounded from behind him when the talon was lifted and Jason with it, his face blanched in pure shock. Light blue fluid was streaming from the wound in his chest and trickling down the claw as he was pulled higher.

“YOU BASTARDS!”, he could hear Grant yell and weakly turned his head to see his brother launch at Buck and throw him to the ground.

He had never seen his brother that furious before as he started to beat Buck to a pulp who only grinned manically and buried his own claw in Grant’s stomach.

“Grant!”

At once, the shock was replaced by anger and Jason tried to tug himself off of the talon to come to his brother’s aid. The heron above him guffawed mockingly and revealed gigantic jaws of pointed teeth as he lowered his head towards Jason.

“ _Don’t damage my property._ ”, he growled and another huge talon shot out from the haze.

Grant looked back to see it coming just in time and rolled away from Buck right as the second talon pierced through Buck’s body. A gurgled scream broke from the demon’s throat followed by a chilling moan as he clutched the object impaling him. Jason used the distraction to pull himself free, sliding down until he was holding onto the claw with one hand. Despite fluid leaking incessantly from the large hole in his chest, he found the strength to climb up the talon and run up the heron’s arm.

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”, Jason screamed as he drew back his arm and sliced his nails across the demon’s massive throat.

Bright white lines cut through the air and right into the dark flesh of the heron, severing his head cleanly. The giant jaws released a deafening roar and Jason fell down when the decapitated body toppled backward, dragging Buck with him into the haze. Red water splashed when he hit the ground and Grant appeared at his side. The plane shook with the shockwave of the heron’s fall and his brother held his arm above his head protectively.

“Jason! Oh my god, Jason!”, Grant panted as he stared at the gaping hole in Jason’s chest.

Looking down at his own body, Jason figured he would disintegrate right then and there, and he felt a calming sense of peace at the thought that he would do so after protecting his brother. Grant was injured too but the stab wound Buck had dealt him received no attention as Grant’s eyes darted over his brother’s frame, frantically searching for some way to help him.

“Please, Jay… please _fight_ …”

Jason grunted and put his hand over the cavity. Focusing his thoughts again, he tried to picture the hole in his body closing. His glowing markings started to pulsate, the color of his skin turning a light orange shade and finally, stringy tendrils snaked across the space inside his chest, growing in number until they filled up the hole and sutured the two sides back together.

Grant gasped in relief, a smile spreading his lips and his eyes filling with tears. Moving into a sitting position, Jason ran his palm over his front that had been completely restored.

“We should go…”, he murmured, regarding himself in bewilderment.

“Will you be okay?”, he asked Grant as they both stood up.

“Yeah. I’ve been wounded many times in this place. It might take some time but the body is always restored if the will is there.”

Jason glanced over the sea of body parts and gave a nod in understanding.

“Do you know how to get to the gate?”

“Yes…”, Jason replied quietly, glancing down at his hand.

“… Grant… there’s… there’s someone else I have to find first.”

His brother gave him a searching look, unsettled by the shift in his voice.

“Who is it?”

Green eyes panned up to meet his brother’s gaze, ridden with guilt.

“I wouldn’t have made it here without him… but he’s also the reason why you’re here…”

Confusion conquered Grant’s features before the realization washed it away.

“That piece of shit pirate is here?”

Squaring his shoulders, Jason steeled himself before making what could be the hardest admission of his life.

“I can’t leave here without him.”

The two brothers stared at each other for a long time after that. Jason anticipated all kinds of reactions but what he didn’t expect was Grant giving him a nod before saying just one simple word.

“Okay.”

~+~

The lines on his palm led them to another of Citra’s threads and Jason helped his brother onto the swinging ribbon. He was still on edge from the fight and his confession but his mind was fixated on finding Vaas more than anything else. The thread led them out of the heron’s realm and spanned over the vast, ghostly blue ocean again with no perceptible horizon. Jason spotted the same dark figures floating under the surface but none of them seemed to notice them so far.

Suddenly, Grant’s hand grabbed his shoulder, bringing them to a halt.

“Jay, look.”, he whispered and pointed to a spot in the water.

Jason’s eyes narrowed when he saw what looked like a swarm of shadows spinning in a vortex beneath the waves. Next, the sea level began to rise too quickly for either of them to do anything other than scream when they were swallowed by the ocean. Bubbles of air danced around his vision as Jason opened his eyes again, water filling his lungs and making him thrash uselessly before his feet suddenly connected with a stone floor.

The following second, all signs of the ocean were gone and he found himself standing in an enormous hall, its walls covered in ancient murals the size of buildings.

“Grant?”, he called, the sound echoing throughout space but his brother was nowhere to be found.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Jason swore under his breath as his eyes roamed the area. He recognized the Rakyat carvings in the viridescent stones, the uncanny images of temples, faces, and creatures. When he passed by, the symbols began to sparkle with blue lights, illuminating his path as he carefully moved forward.

From somewhere in the hall, haunting music began to play, the clings of wind bells entwined with a female voice singing low, drawn-out notes. Jason could feel himself shiver but continued to walk, the lines on his palm pointing straight ahead. He stopped when a colossal pyramid appeared from the darkness at the end of the hall, its tip ending in a broad platform. As he climbed the stairs leading up, Jason noticed a new swarm of shadows encircling the top. Their shapes were of a deep red color this time, dragging tails of crimson smoke.

Recurring flashes of light cut through the swarm but the swirl maintained its form and momentum. When he was almost at the end of the stairs, another voice sounded in his ears.

_You are worthless. Your family got you killed._

Eyes growing wide, Jason hurried up the rest of the way and onto the platform. He froze when he saw a row of kneeling figures. They were lined up in front of an executioner who appeared like a Rakyat warrior, bleeding markings of tatau carved into his flesh. The warrior raised his hand to the head of the first victim and another flash erupted as the figure’s skull cracked open with a harrowing noise. The body collapsed and red smoke sprung from the remains, joining the never-ending maelstrom of souls. The executioner went down the row in sequence and Jason sprinted across the platform when he spotted Grant at the end of the line.

“NO! STOP!”, he yelled and the warrior spun around, swiftly catching Jason by his throat and lifting him off the ground.

Jason yelped and gripped the man’s wrist. The hold was like a vice and he dug his nails into the thick grey skin, then ceased all struggle when he saw his face. Staring back at him were pitch-black eyes, alien among the features he had once gazed at in the moonlight.

“Vaas!”, Jason croaked breathlessly, finding nothing but a malicious glare directed back at him.

“Vaas, it’s me.”

Obsidian eyes narrowed a fraction but the merciless hold remained. Jason’s eyes switched to the oozing arrow wound on Vaas’ shoulder and without thinking, he reached out to push his fingers against it. As if struck by lightning, the executioner released his grip and flinched backward. Jason dropped on the ground with a grunt and looked up to see Vaas staring back at him in shock. 

From the obscured ceiling of the hall, shining white flakes began to fall, raining down on them when Jason rose to his feet. For a moment, all noise faded into silence. In the stillness, Vaas’ features twisted in a painful grimace of desperation, the only sound being his pleading whimper.

“ _Please Jason... end it..._ ” 

Green eyes shining with tears, Jason rushed towards him and took his face in his hands.

“No… no, we can do this…”, he pleaded back, waiting for Vaas to meet his gaze.

“I’m not gonna leave you.”

Vaas sneered bitterly and gave a shake of his head.

“Why? Do you think you can save the worst part of yourself by saving me?”

The question made Jason feel like he had been struck. The truth of it stung and put him at a loss of words. Vaas chuckled humorlessly and Jason started to panic when he was being pushed away.

“No, wait! Listen to me!”

He held onto Vaas’ shoulders and frantically searched the hollow glare of black eyes.

“My entire life, I never, I never _knew_ completeness. I always felt this _lack_. No matter what I did or who I was with. I always felt so fucking empty. ”

Some of the tension left Vaas’ body but the lines of his face were still hard and unrelenting.

“It got so much worse after I thought I killed you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. There was so much more I wanted to know. I’ve never been so caught up in someone else.”

A guilt-ridden part of him wondered if his brother could hear this confession. In a way, it felt like a betrayal but Jason needed to say it. If he didn’t, he feared he would never get the chance again.

“I don’t want to be apart from you...”, he whispered softly, leaning in closer.

“… please come back with me.”

Vaas watched him with half-lidded eyes and gave a low hum, his resistance slowly melting away when the noise returned. From the other side of the platform, two shadow figures came running towards them, one taller than the other, orange light dripping from the side of its head. Vaas and Jason scattered, each of them getting attacked with angry roars.

The smaller shadow attempted to punch Jason’s chest but Jason dodged by jumping up and over its frame, his body brimming with unnatural strength and agility. They exchanged multiple strikes and kicks, blocking and throwing each other through the air.

“ _I will take your life_.”, the shadow suddenly growled.

“ _I will take it and give it to Citra, she’ll be alive again._ ”

Looking closer now, Jason realized he had seen the glowing tattoos on the arms of the figure before. He shoved him away roughly and furrowed his brows in confusion.

“ _Dennis?_ ”

The shadow snarled angrily in response and leaped back towards him. A short distance away, Vaas was evading the other demon as it swung its claws at him, bellowing each time it missed. Vaas went in for a punch of his own but was side-stepped as the creature jumped behind him and wrapped its thick arm around his neck, trapping him in a chokehold.

“ _I will kill you, traitor!_ ”, the being hissed through its teeth, tightening its grip.

“Vaas!”, Jason called and Dennis used the distraction to topple him.

They crashed to the ground while the other demon began to pull at Vaas’ head, aiming to rip it off his shoulders. The skin on Vaas’ neck fractured with the pressure as muscle and tendons were strained but his lips stretched with a mad grin.

“ _No matter what you do, she’ll never let you hit it, Arfuck._ ”, he rasped before biting down hard on the arm around his throat, tearing out a big chunk of flesh as his attacker released him with a yowl.

The blink of an eye later, he kicked Dennis off of Jason’s body and pulled him back on his feet.

“You’re forgetting who you’re dealing with.”, Vaas’ voice rumbled like thunder and the two shadows had trouble finding their balance as the entire hall quaked with his anger.

Jason stared at him with a mixture of awe and fright when dark pupils came to meet his eyes.

“Get your brother out of here, I’ll deal with them.”

From where he had been frozen in a kneeling position on the ground, Grant was suddenly stumbling towards them, now able to move his body freely again.

“How do we get to the gate?”, he asked, regarding Vaas with uncertainty.

“You’ll get there.”, Vaas murmured in response before putting his hands on both of their chests and pushing them down from the platform.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~+ Metaphormania +~  
> I think I'll end this in chapter 13, getting close to the end.


	13. Reprise

Falling backward into the darkness Jason expected to hit the ground hard considering the height of the pyramid but after a few seconds of free fall, he found that the surroundings around them had changed yet again, back to the deep blue of the ocean. Weightless, they drifted underwater, Grant by his side, holding onto him with a strong hand grabbing his arm. Then his brother made use of his altered body and swam to the surface, dragging Jason up with him.

Their heads appeared among the waves, gasping for breath even though Jason wasn’t sure they actually needed it in this place. They had come up close to a rocky shore, compiled of the same dark stones he remembered from the first area he had landed in. The water around them was glowing in various shades of blue, luminous flecks of color reacting to their movements and gleaming like a sea of stars.

With a couple of fast strokes, Grant had brought them to the shore and helped Jason out onto the rocks. Struggling for balance, Jason looked back at the water, a desperate part of him wanting to jump back in and find some way to the sunken platform.

“Let’s go, Jay.”, Grant urged him quietly, giving a soft tug to his arm.

Gritting his teeth, Jason let himself be pulled away and they headed further inland. The sky above them was still dark but the shining lines on Jason’s palm suddenly lifted from his skin and pointed upward. They stopped and raised their heads.

“I don’t see anything, is it here?”, Grant asked.

Jason gulped nervously but nodded his head.

“I think so.”

He focused his thoughts on one objective again.

_Open the gate. Open the gate._

But nothing happened.

“Damn it, Puya.”, Jason hissed, staring up at the black infinity.

“What do you want?”

From beside him, Grant gave him a worried look before inhaling deeply through his nose.

“Maybe there is no way out. Like I’ve said, I’ve been here a long time, Jay. And I never heard anything about a way to get out. Believe me, I tried.”

Frustration seeping through, Jason cursed loudly and clenched his fists. After everything he had done to get here, to find his brother, he didn’t – no, he _couldn’t_ accept that they would be stuck in this place forever.

“I will stay if he gets to go.”, he proclaimed suddenly, and Grant stared at him with wide eyes.

“Jay, NO.”

“I will be whatever you want me to be if my brother is set free.”

Before Grant could protest again, the ground suddenly quaked, forcing both of them to fall to their knees. Shining white threads appeared around them and when he looked up, Jason saw Citra hovering in the sky, illuminating the darkness with her radiance. She laughed and floated down until her feet were almost touching the stones, smiling down on Jason.

“Citra!”, he called in surprise but found that he couldn’t move when threads tightly wrapped around his arms and legs, trapping him.

His face fell in panic when he saw how Grant was equally bound and made unable to move but before he could say anything else, Citra’s hand came to cup his jaw, making him look back up at her.

“How does it feel to have your deepest wish on your fingertips and then ripped away?”, she asked quietly, teal eyes glinting with malice.

Jason growled and attempted to pull himself free but the threads only wrapped tighter. He glared back at her as rage boiled up in his chest.

“All you wanted was another tool.”

Citra laughed loudly again and took a step back. She regarded Jason with a sneer before turning her attention towards Grant.

“Well, since you won’t do, maybe there’s another candidate…”

“STAY AWAY FROM HIM!”, Jason yelled, his voice booming with anger.

It served to make Citra stop in her tracks and shoot him a scowl. The halo of strings around her body turned from white to red as her own rage flared, the only warning before her fingers clenched around Jason’s throat and lifted him off the ground.

“YOU RUIN EVERYTHING JASON.”, she shrilled, the distorted sound piercing his ears painfully.

“YOU COULD HAVE BEEN THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR.”

“Will you ever stop with that?”

Both Citra and Jason gaped in shock when Citra was suddenly stabbed from behind, the familiar shape of the Silver Dragon knife slammed right through her chest. She dropped Jason who hit the rocks with a groan before staring up to see Vaas rip the blade back out of his sister’s body.

Wide-eyed, Citra turned around, her hands shaking.

“Vaas…”, she whimpered and her brother sighed, raising the knife.

“Maybe we’re destined to do this forever.”, he whispered and buried the blade right in her sternum.

She stumbled back with a gasp and stared at the knife stuck in her front.

“Why is it always _them?_ ”, Citra muttered, sadness conquering her face before her frame began to dissolve in a myriad of threads.

“ _Why not me?_ ”

Vaas watched her with half-lidded eyes, his lips turned down. When her strings disappeared, both Jason and Grant were able to get up but no less on edge. Grant eyed Vaas with distrust and Jason rubbed his own throat, coughing and overwhelmed by everything that had just happened.

“How- how did you-?”

He didn’t know what to ask first but Vaas silenced him by putting his hand on his chest. Jason followed the movement of his other hand as it gathered some of the blood from the wound on his shoulder and started to draw symbols on Jason’s skin. Then he turned to Grant and did the same to him, albeit waiting a couple of seconds until his brother gave him permission with a nod.

“You need my blood to get back.”, Vaas explained, his face still a somber mask.

“What about you?”, Jason asked quickly but didn’t receive an answer.

When the symbols were finished, they began to glow a deep crimson, and Grant grabbed Jason’s shoulder, instinctively holding on.

“Vaas.”, Jason started, trying desperately to meet the other man’s eyes, reaching out his hand to touch his skin but the world around them was already changing again.

The rocks and sky blurred into an indistinguishable mess, and the last thing he saw was Vaas rushing forward, pressing their lips together in a brief but deep kiss. After that, everything went black, his consciousness ripped away.

~+~

Jason woke up to the sound of waves and the feeling of warm sand under his body. His eyes blinked open gradually to find a bright blue sky stretching above him. Moving up he noticed Grant sitting next to him, back to his normal appearance, dressed in the same clothes he had worn when they first arrived on Rook. He smiled at Jason.

“You did it, Jay.”

His voice sounded clear yet echoed strangely in the air and Jason felt a sorrowful certainty take hold of his heart. He couldn’t explain how he knew but when he looked at his brother, something inside him just recognized the truth immediately.

“You’re still dead.”

The warm smile remained on Grant’s lips.

“Yes. But I’m free. Thanks to you.”

Jason couldn’t have stopped the tears leaking from his eyes if he had wanted to.

“I’m sorry. I screwed up again.”, he whispered, casting his gaze to the sand.

“Jason, look at me.”

The strong sound of his voice made Jason comply and what he found written on Grant’s face was nothing but pride.

“You saved me. You fought against impossible odds, just to get me out. You moved heaven and earth, you didn’t give up. _Thank you._ ”

Sniffling, Jason wiped some of the wetness from his face but it just kept coming. The dam had finally broken for good and all he had suppressed gushed to the surface.

“But I’m so fucked up, Grant… I’m in so deep… I’m… I’m not sure I can ever get out. I’m not sure I want to. All I can think about is… how I want to go back…”

“You have your own path, Jay. It led us to this, wherever you choose to go next… I love you.”

Choking back his sobs, Jason covered his face with his hands. He didn’t know how much time had passed but when he lowered them again, his brother was gone, and the day had turned into night. Eventually, he left the beach and headed into the jungle, walking on aimlessly. The stripes on his body were gone as well as his wounds. A part of him considered the possibility that all this had been some kind of twisted nightmare or delusion but the memories were too real, too detailed in his mind to be imagination.

Growing increasingly tired, he chose to rest at a Rakyat shrine he came upon in the undergrowth. It consisted of a partially collapsed mural, reminding him of the ones he had seen in the ancient hall back in Puya’s depths. The image of a shark was carved into the stone and for some reason, Jason felt the urge to kneel in front of it and say a prayer in his mind.

It was filled with gratitude but also regret, and ended with a promise.

“I will find you again.”, he said the last words out loud and flinched back when the mural began to glow with shimmering blue dots.

Coming to stand, Jason continued to move back until he hit something behind him.

“It’s what you do, huh?”

With a start, Jason spun around only to be captured by firm arms that immediately pulled him close. He sighed softly with relief when teal eyes gazed back at him and without thinking leaned in for a kiss of his own. They moved together in familiar synchrony, complementing parts sliding into place, and only when the need for air made itself known did Jason sway back to have closer look.

Vaas’ skin shone slate blue in the night, his body radiated similar to how Citra’s had. The red tatau were still present but no longer bleeding. His eyes had regained their original color and were watching Jason with curiosity and affection.

“What are you?”, Jason asked quietly.

Vaas chuckled and ran his thumb across Jason’s cheek, fingers brushing through the hair on the back of his head.

“Well, something that can be summoned, obviously. A demon, a spirit, a _god_ … I don’t really know, Snow.”

“How did this happen?”

With a shrug, Vaas leaned in briefly, planting a kiss on the corner of Jason’s mouth before he replied.

“I’m pretty sure I died in Puya and then it turned me into this. Why? No idea. I was trapped in my own little hell until you found me. And the contact to you… changed me again. Freed me.”

Sorting through the new information, Jason absentmindedly gave a retaliatory peck to Vaas’ lips, earning himself a smile.

“So you’re the same as Citra now, and Sam… you have a realm… you’re part of Puya.”

A worry manifested itself quickly, making Jason hold tighter onto Vaas.

“Does this mean you can’t stay?”

The other’s smile lost a tad of its strength.

“Yeah. I don’t know much about this yet but the time I can spend here is limited.”

Jason regarded Vaas with sudden but indomitable conviction. He pushed their foreheads together and snaked his arm around Vaas’ shoulders.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

He could feel Vaas frown.

“You could die.”

“I already did.”

Jason moved back, enough to let Vaas see the glowing stripes that reappeared on his body.

“The heron got me. I’m not human anymore either.”

The surprise on Vaas’ face bled into confusion, realization, sadness, and then hope.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Snow.”

Jason gave him a soft smile and locked their lips again, holding on as their time ran out.

They both faded from Rook while the carving of a tiger appeared next to that of the shark on the ancient Rakyat mural.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it, folks.
> 
> Thank you for reading, the kudos, and comments.
> 
> I never expected this to go on this long but here we are at the end :)


End file.
